With the Mhadei battle won, to paraphrase Goa Chief Minister Laximkant Parsekar, Additional Solicitor General of India and former Goa Advocate-General Atmaram Nadkarni and his legal team arguing Goa s case deserve our fullest support for the war ahead. Karnataka is already preparing its appeal against the Tribunal order rejecting its intervention petition seeking release of 7 TMC of water from the Mhadei River to the Malaprabha basin and Goa must gear up under Nadkarni s leadership to fight the good fight. Of course, the BJP-led State government deserves congratulations for being diligent and smart in fighting Goa s corner, including picking the right legal team. But the role played by Atmaram Nadkarni and his colleagues needs particular appreciation given, quite frankly, the campaign of calumny launched against him in certain quarters. The old saying about Goans being like crabs - always willing to pull a fellow Goan down - is what was perhaps behind some of the unfair personal targeting of Nadkarni. And there were others with more sinister and personal agendas in the mix as well. Criticism and/or political and professional differences aired in a civilized manner have their place in a democratic society, but when, especially in the age of social media, those working for the good of Goa are selectively picked on, it is up to all Goans to stand by their man.
