Gandhi holiday cancellation
mars controversy
Sandesh Prabhudesai
24 November 2001
Amidst controversy over cancellation of Gandhi
Jayanti holiday in Goa, the local Bharatiya Janata Party government
has kept the notification in abeyance.
"I will go ahead with it once it is
clarified whether the state government is empowered to cancel
a national holiday"" states chief minister Manohar Parrikar.
Along with it, he has also cancelled 30 May,
the Goa Statehood Day, as the holiday.
The opposition, especially the Congress,
however has vehemently opposed the move, though everybody
has welcomed Parrikar’s bold step to reduce the number of
holidays. "Definitely, it needs to be done. But why begin
with Gandhi?", asks Luizinho Faleiro, the state opposition
leader.
"Because Gandhiji believed that work
is God", states Parrikar. The hard-core swayamsevak of
the RSS also dismisses the allegation that his action smacks
of the anti-Gandhi feelings of the RSS.
"RSS never taught me to hate Gandhi.
I may hate some of his bad ideas", states Parrikar, but
does not elaborate what Gandhian thoughts he does not agree
with. In fact, he argues that Gandhi is the right person to
begin with the work culture in the administration.
"While the hatred of the Sangh Parivar
towards Gandhi is a known fact, Bapuji does not belong to
any particular caste due to which any vote bank will protest",
observes Devendra Kandolkar, a socialist activist belonging
to Rashtra Seva Dal.
Followed by this, Parrikar plans to reduce
the number of holidays while making several religious holidays
optional. With every 26th Goan here is a government
servant, any one or two consecutive holidays in a week brings
the whole administration to a standstill in the 13-lakh strong
state.
Goa normally gets 16 holidays, seven out
of which including Gandhi Jayanti, Ambedkar Jayanti, two national
days and three religious days are national holidays under
the Negotiable Instruments Act. Besides remaining nine state
holidays, two more are given as restricted holidays.
Parrikar now plans to reduce the state holidays.
"But in that case, the government should increase the
restricted holidays to at least eight", feels Ajit Talaulikar,
president of the Goa Government Employees Association.
Though Parrikar is keen on canceling the
Gandhi Jayanti holiday for the reasons best known to him,
the order issued in this regard is presently kept in the cold
storage since it is a national holiday. The controversy however
may erupt once again if he goes ahead with it.
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