Nine months on Digamber Kamat the incarnate of God on Earth –yes he is the
first Saraswat INC CM – has yet to deliver. His oft repeated sobriquet “aam
aadmi” vision for the common man could easily make the Mahatma Gandhi roll in
his grave.
Appointed as the CEO of the State on 7th June, 2007 – he described it as
God’s desire Whether it was God or his INC High Command Priestess Madam
Sonia Gandhi – it matters little - but wittingly or unwittingly Kamat
cunningly and discreetly crafted his life’s ambition to be CM with the
blessings of Maratha chieftain Pratapsing Raoji Rane so that son Vishwajit
Raoji Rane the “enfant terrible” would be enthroned in Sattari taluka as a quid
pro qua.
Together through an SC Mr Sushilkumar Shinde Union Power Minister and a steno
under late Madam Indira Gandhi turned politico Mr R K Dhawan both known to his
old protégé and mentor the late Ananta (Babu) Nayak ex MLA Margao they sounded
the High Command that Kamat needs to be ordained CM and it was done.
Late Babu Nayak a Saraswat himself inducted Mr Kamat into politics in the early
80’as Chairman of the Goa Agriculture Produce Market Committee, and also got
him elected as Ward IV representing the “Monte” -later notified as an Urban
slum – in Aquem Alto of Margao Municipal Council in 1986 .
Denied an INC ticket he switched over to the BJP got elected and now
represents the Goa Legislative Assembly in his fourth term. His February
2005 “suffocating alibi” was intended to quit the BJP for he knew the RSS cult
within him was viewed as “nakli” by the "asli" RSS (the lifeline of the BJP )
for he took his political baptism in the overtly secular INC. This could never
have realized his dream for the CM’s chair under the stewardship of Manohar
Parrikars the man who always “kept him close yet far away “
As Kamat turns fifty four on Women’s Day, 8th March, 2008 there are many who
believe that no development is better than communal disharmony. True but the
State though is seen as a cauldron of tolerance of all communities is beginning
to feel the heat from down under with “soft polarization” of the majority and
minority community taking place post Liberation and completing a full circle
by 2011 when the State completes 50 years of Liberation or by 2012 when State
celebrates its Jubilee Year (formed on 30th May, 1987)
On the linguistic front Konkani in Devanagari as the “natural script” and
unifying script (given the blessings by the naïve Brahmanical hierarchy in the
Archdiocese of Goa and Daman at the height of the post language agitation in
1990 accepting it as the medium of instruction ) as conceptualized
clandestinely by the Executive body of the Sahitya Akademi New Delhi on 21st
November, 1981 and postulated in the 1939 Sahitya Konkani Sammelan at Karwar by
Manjunath seems to consolidating itself as the medium of instruction \The
adherents to Romi script give it lip service to woo their votebanks in the
Salcete belt (8 constituencies ) and then shy away to take it to its logical
position viz deletion of “ Devanagari” from the Official Language Act, 1987 or
adding “and Roman” to the definition of Konkani.
So the seemingly holy nexus of the Catholics with the subservient Hindus
enjoyed pre Liberation is slowly withering. Landholdings a huge chunk of it
held by the Catholics in the rich Velhas Conquistas Old Conquests are either
subjected to bitter litigation in the Civil Courts . Broad day light
encroachments with political blessings (90% of the elected representatives from
the lowest unit the Panachayat level upto the Parliament level themselves
either “mundcar” “tenant” and “encroacher” category ) or the “mutual trust”
is now getting replaced with “crass betrayal” and has resulted in land
ownership private and “gaunkari” land being usurped by all and sundry. migrants
too have a field day so long as they consolidate the vote banks.
Landholdings owned by Catholics of beyond 10 acres and otherwise is also being
sold in distress? or greed? by the Catholic landowners to the highest bidder
.Even the “primeiro bairro” mostly around the Church where the landed gentry
has its domain is not spared. These acts threaten not only the demographic
composition of the State but the deculturisation of the State is imminent.
Catholics are a majority in the four talukas of Old Conquests ( 1510-1961) and
Hindus in the seven talukas of the New Conquests (1763-1961)
This is the agenda that is slowly but surely being given a solid foundation by
the Kamat government. Talk of Vishal Gomantak Greater Goa to contain areas of
Haliyal Supa etc is on the anvil and once the “niz Goemcars” and the vocal
Catholics are being spited as is being witnessed with the selective use of
police force to blunt any resistance the minorities will tend to be silenced
in the coming days.
The non setting up of the State Human Rights Commission the disregard to the
SC directives on effective Police administration to weed it out from the
political influence is seen by the fact that an ex Justice Eurico D Silva has
been merely provided a table and a chair to function and even suspension orders
against delinquent Police officials have been revoked and reinstatement ordered
without any notings on their CR’s are pointers to this trend. Clearly a step
to ensure the Police remain subservient to the political establishment and to
pursue the “nationalist right wing agenda “ under a secular garb by the CM. The
Collectors and Mamlatdars in the two districts do the bidding of CM Kamat.
The Task Force constituted to prepare the Regional Plan 2001 appears to be in
limbo . In Tiswadi Mr Antansion (Babush ) Monseratte / Jenifer Monseratte
are apparently licking their bruised wounds after the wrath of the police so
is the Mayor of the Corporation of Panaji Mr Tony Rodrigues –. There are
enough criminal charges framed against Taleigao elected representatives
representing the V Panchayat and part of the Corporation The Santa Cruz MLA
Ms Victoria Fernandes the sole women representative in the Goa Legislative
Assembly the mascot for “womens lib” is feeling the heat and has been reduced
to a sphinx in the Assembly – literally tongue tied. The Alemao’s have been
threatened of being sidelined from the Cabinet should they not fall in line.
Finance Minister Dayanand Narvekar fine art in fiscal management which could
make history in Goa is being threatened of being divested of the finance
portfolio and his Tivim cricket
Complex like the IT habitat may come a cropper. The lone ST Pandurang
Madkaikar was shaken up for fear of being demited from Cabinet status so also
was the Power Minister Alex Sequeira who leads the youthful brigade of the
present elected representatives had almost surrendered his armed constabulary
and resigned to his fate of being removed from the Cabinet. The Dhavalikar
brothers in the MGP have been asked to go slow over their Cabinet demands with
Dr Vijay Mallya hanging his party’s forays in the State and his Man Friday
Prof Surendra Sirsat now in the Nationalist Congress Party being rehabilitated
as Chairman of the Goa Rehabilitation Board. Young Vishwajit Rane has been
given the go ahead for his Health Ministry ventures. Dr Wilfred De Souza views
has clearly run in variance of his party high command, and this was seen due to
several faux pax committed between his elected representatives himself the
President of the NCP in Goa
Hence will Kamat use his iron fist to deliver and prepare the INC for the mid
term poll in the next 14 months is the question upper most in the minds of
Goans. Yes there appears to be two moves a) Kamat would prefer to outwit his
bete noire Mr Manohar Parrikar by appeasing a chunk of the 16 BJP MLA’s on to
his side b) eliminating the nuisance value of the Nationalist Congress Party in
Goa by seeking the induction of the present crop into the INC fold.
Many feel that equal strong are the undercurrents that could be appeased to set
Kamats plans at rest and hence the coming budget session would provide the next
opportune time depending on how the INC led UPA and the BJP led NDA fare in
this leap year. Surely Kamat believes that if February can March, April
May. Will the Opposition within prove him wrong is a matter to be seen.
GODFREY J. I. GONSALVES,
BORDA, MARGAO, 403 602, GOA. (INDIA)
+91 98221 58584 (24 HRS)
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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