MARGAO
The Global Romi Lipi Abhiyan on Tuesday met Benaulim MLA Venzy Viegas and Velim MLA Cruz Silva and gave them a draft of two resolutions the group wants passed in the upcoming Assembly session. The first resolution asks for Romi Konkani to be introduced in Goa’s schools from Std 1, in phases. The second calls for the immediate setting up of the Goa State Minorities Commission.
Kennedy Afonso said that under Article 29(1) of the Indian Constitution, minorities have the right to protect their language, script and culture.
He said the two MLAs listened to the delegation and assured them they would place the resolutions before the Assembly. “However, they shared concerns on whether the BJP government would allow these resolutions to be taken up due to the lottery system used in the House,” he said.
He added, “They explained that the government uses a lottery system, and sometimes only allows topics it wants to be discussed. This lottery is not transparent as it is not done in front of legislators, so we will have to wait and see if the government allows these resolutions to be taken up.”
The MLAs assured the delegation that if the resolutions are not allowed, they can still raise the issues during the demands.
“They emphasised that it is important for BJP MLAs to support these resolutions, as they are the constitutional rights of minorities,” he added.
