Goa Hit-Rakahan Manch codemns BJP bill

17 June 2000  

The Goa Hit-Rakhan Manch has condemned the Bharatiya Janata Party for going against their public assurance and bringing an amendment bill to the Official Language Act, according status to Marathi on par with Konkani, which will have far-reaching implications on Goa and the Goan society at large.

A press note issued by the GHM spokesperson Prashant Naik recalled that the BJP, at its party convention, had assured the people of Goa that the party would not alter the basic structure of the act and would also not compromise status of Konkani language in any way. But the amendment to accord equal status to Marathi has amply proved that this assurance was a mere eyewash.

The hidden agenda of the BJP, to work against the interest of Goa and Goans, has been exposed with the amendment bill as granting equal status to Marathi would make it mandatory for the government to make knowledge of Marathi essential in jobs, if not Konkani. Obviously, this would open the floodgates to all the Marathi-speaking unemployed youth from the neighbouring states to rightfully come and take up jobs here by continuing the practice of producing fake domicile certificates.

Mr Naik also points out that the high court in its judgement had declined to make knowledge of Marathi essential in jobs because Marathi was not accorded equal status on par with Konkani. The BJP's move would now facilitate to accord official status to Marathi, which would result into allowing Marathi-speaking people to come down and take up jobs in Goa, he observes.

Though Goans in 1967 had countered the threat of Goa getting merged into Maharashtra, states Naik, another threat of merging Marathi-speaking regions of the neighbouring states in the name of Vishal Gomantak still looms large over our state. By trying to make it a bilingual state, the BJP is once again raking up the old controversy which had been put to rest in 1987 by passing the Official Language Act, which had also accorded Marathi its rightful and respectful place.

The Goa Hit-Rakhan Manch has also resolved to expose sinister designs of the 'Maharashtrawadi BJP' by mobilising all the people and especially the youth whose future is at stake due to this most dangerous amendment bill. The GHM has also appealed to all the Goans not to get misguided under the pretext of religion and culture and realise that the existing act provides full protection to Marathi in the educational, social and cultural fields besides using it for all official purposes.

At a recently held meeting of around 50 prominent leaders and activists, the GHM has resolved to come on the streets, if necessary, to save interest of Goa and Goans and mobilise all those from Pernem to Canacona whose sons and daughters are struggling hard to come up in life but their prospects are thrown to winds by such short-sighted politicians.

While welcoming a firm stand taken by chief minister Francisco Sardinha not to allow any amendment to the act, the meeting appealed to all the MLAs to stand behind the chief minister irrespective of their party affiliations and petty differences while also appealing to the people to pressurise their respective MLAs in this regard. The GHM has also appealed to the BJP activists to force their leaders to rethink over the amendment and save Goa from disaster.

Prashant Naik

Spokesperson

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