The Mhadei battle continues with its twists and turns. Permission to hold a public rally on January 16 at the Sanqelim ground was revoked on Thursday by the Sanquelim Municipal Council on the premise that it would cause inconvenience and commotion on a day of the weekly bazaar in the area. And swiftly, the Save Goa, Save Mhadei Front announced an alternate venue in Sanquelim.
SMC chairperson has come out openly flaying the decision to revoke the permission, saying that the council was not taken into confidence. The chief officer has succumbed to pressure and has done an about-turn that goes against the spirit of saving Mhadei. A futile attempt was made to derail the public meeting, a rally considered to be Goa’s “second opinion poll” involving the people of Goa, sections from the political spectrum, activists and ordinary citizens.
The very move of revocation has to be condemned because of the seriousness of the issue on the table. No other engagement could hold priority over this, and the weekly bazaar and all other activities could wait or shift elsewhere. Incidentally, the chairperson has stated that a separate arrangement was already made for the bazaar.
No matter the outcome, the government must show the bravado to face dissent and not engage in such dubious methods to deny people their fundamental right to expression.
If one cuts through the maze, the discomfort of Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and his government is reflected clearly in the chief officer’s revocation. Against the backdrop of the resolute stance that the government has taken to fight the issue to the hilt, a public meeting should not be seen as an embarrassment.
On the contrary, Sawant, with the intent that is shown in taking up the issue lately, should extend full support to any public discourse on Mhadei and use it to leverage the State’s position with the Centre. Deflating public outreaches would be counterproductive and expose the devotion which he has been consistently preaching.
On the flip side, the idea of holding a public rally exclusively in Sanquelim is questionable and gives it an unnecessary political flavour. Even then, there is no strong reason for the government to run away from scrutiny on the issue. Sawant has done his bit, although it may not be enough in the larger scheme of things. He took up the case to the Supreme Court when his predecessor, along with his deputy, were trumpeting victory for Goa. Also, Sawant wrote to the Centre in 2020 explaining Goa’s position and appealing to stall the approval of DPR to Karnataka. However, attempts to scuttle meetings raise a lot of questions.
The public rally must be welcomed, provided it brings about a healthy discourse on Mhadei and not a hate campaign against anyone. Political banter can achieve nothing except satisfying a few terribly bruised egos. The political labyrinth over Mhadei makes the issue even more complex. The meeting has to bring before the ordinary citizens the impact water diversion will have on Goa and the option at hand for the State. There must be a counter-strategy before Karnataka has the last laugh.
