Special status to Andhra Pradesh found an echo in Berlin where Rahul Gandhi assured the Indian diaspora that if Congress comes to power in 2019, he will grant the State its wish, an issue that led to Chandrababu Naidu parting ways with the NDA alliance.
Goa too has been eyeing special status, albeit not on lines of AP’s financial package, but as an amendment to the legislation to protect the identity of the State. Goa has been seeking a special status on lines of Himachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Uttarakhand, under Article 371 of the Constitution to protect its demographic profile against inward migration.
The most worrisome issue for Goa has been the influx of migrants, beyond the carrying capacity of state, resulting in a gradual demographic disintegration severely affecting the identity of the State. This remains a huge challenge vis-Ã -vis government’s Goem, Goenkar, Goemkarponn focus.
Despite all the initiatives and promises, the special status has remained elusive for over six long years. It may be noted that in February 2012 Union Minister and the then BJP national president Nitin Gadkari had ruled our special status to Goa. Despite this rejection, the issue was at the forefront with the assembly passing a resolution to that effect in April 2013 after a marathon 2-hour debate. Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar then reignited hopes of special status soon after Modi came into power in 2014 and assured that the prime minister will accede to Goa’s request within five months. Ironically, even Modi was in conformity to Goa’s demand during his electioneering leg in the State.
The State has been pursuing the demand very aggressively and if we may recall, the then environment and forest minister Alina Saldanha had on September 21, 2013 even threatened to quit the BJP government if Goa wasn’t granted the special status. That’s not all. Vijai Sardesai, an independent legislator in 2014 had suggested mass resignation of all 40 MLAs on the floor of the House in support of their demand for special status.
The government’s recent stance however has rekindled hopes even after the Centre’s rejection of this demand in 2014 yet again and despite the fact that Laxmikant Parsekar, during his tenure as CM, had clearly ruled out Centre granting special status to Goa.
But while Goa nurtures new hopes, the government must immediately work out ways at the State level to regulate ownership and transfer of land to conserve its limited land resources. On the other side, there has been an exodus from Goa, where lakhs of families have even given up citizenship to settle in European lands. This needs to be addressed too on a priority basis. The identity of Goa is with its people.
