The second reality check speech of Asmitai Pratishtan will be in the black box of Ravindra Bhavan, Margao on February 10
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BHEMBRE'S TAKE
* Opinion Poll had no ‘father’; the campaign was not fathered by any one particular person or political party or a group
* Neither was it fought jointly by different groups who can claim the credit for winning it
* Two generations have been born after the Opinion Poll and yet the actual history has not been taught to them
* When responsible persons make statements without studying the historical facts, bringing in politics, religion and communalism into their actions, it becomes a dangerous cocktail
* The common sense, then, gets lost. This is a bad situation
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
PANAJI: In the wake of the demands put forward by various political leaders to install statue of late Dr Jack Sequeira in the Goa Assembly Complex, Adv Uday Bhembre repudiated the claim that Dr Sequeira was the ‘father’ of the Opinion Poll, asking politicians to study history before making such statements.
Speaking at a ‘reality check’ event organised by Asmitai Pratishtan at Institute Menezes Braganza, Adv Bhembre pointed out that it’s been 51 years since the Opinion Poll. “While those who witnessed it were too young to understand its value or impact, those born after it are totally ignorant of its history. Most Goans are still not aware of what exactly happened in the year 1967 and hence it is necessary to unveil the truth so that history does not get distorted,” said Adv Bhembre.
“Opinion Poll had no ‘father’; the campaign was not fathered by any one particular person or political party or a group and neither was it fought jointly by different groups who can claim the credit for winning it. Two generations have been born after the Opinion Poll and yet the actual history has not been taught to them. When responsible persons make statements without studying the historical facts, bringing in politics, religion and communalism into their actions, it becomes a dangerous cocktail. The common sense, then, gets lost. This is a bad situation,” said Adv Bhembre.
On what basis are persons like Michael Lobo or Vijai Sardesai claiming that Dr Jack Sequeira was the ‘father’ of the Opinion Poll, questioned Adv Bhembre and pointed out that both these political leaders were very young at the time of Opinion Poll to understand what it meant.
“Born on June 18, 1976, Michael Lobo was nine years and five months old then while the president of Goa Forward Party, Vijay Sardesai was three years and five months old. Dr Jack Sequeira had went into political exile in 1980 and passed away in 1989 when Lobo was just 13 year old. How can these young leaders claim about something which they have not seen or experienced or read? Without knowing what the truth is, they are claiming that Dr Sequeira was the ‘father’ of the Opinion Poll. There is hidden political agenda in their demand as they are twisting the history,” alleged Adv Bhembre.
He also pointed out that the demand of merging Goa with Maharashtra did not get rooted after the liberation of Goa, but it was a long standing demand since 1940s when neither the state of Maharashtra nor the state of Goa were born. It was a thought circulated in the limited circle of politicians, few litterateurs and Hindu Goans settled in Mumbai.”
Adv Bhembre briefed the history and said there were five groups who fought independently but for the same cause, to keep the identity of Goa separate and these were the United Goans Party, Congress Party, dainik Rashtramat group, NavGomant Kala Pathak (led by late Ulhas Buyao) and Shabu Desai’s Sangha Pradesh Jyot. “If the credit of keeping Goa independent has to go, it should go to all of these and not to a single person. The Maharashtravadi Gomantak Party which was ruling, was for the merger while these five were against the merger. Though there was no unity in these five, there was no antagonism either. They did not co-operate with each other but they did not fight with each other either. While the two political parties, United Goans and Congress were against each other, there was co-operation between the remaining three. But it is a fact that there was no leader of the anti-merger front and all five had no leader of their own. These were lose groups independently fighting to keep Goa separate,” he said.
“When we ask the question, then who is the ‘father’ of the Opinion Poll, we have to first answer if there was any ‘father’. One can point out if there is any ‘father’ but since there is no ‘father’ of the Opinion Poll. I respect Dr Jack Sequeira who was the leader of the Opposition in the state assembly and when I refute the claim of him being the ‘father’ of the Opinion Poll, it is not to demean him. But facts cannot be twisted and the history cannot be distorted while presenting it to the GenNext. Hence this clearing of misconception was necessary,” said Adv Bhembre.
