MARGAO
Asserting that politicians have failed the people of Goa on Mhadei and the time has come for the Goemkars, in general, to take the battle to the logical conclusion, Goa Forward chief Vijai Sardesai on Sunday extended his full support to the call given by the activists and NGOs to hold a mega rally in Chief Minister Pramod Sawant’s Sankhali constituency in support of Mhadei on Opinion Poll day.
Questioning the ruling BJP’s exercise to the party-ruled panchayats and municipal bodies to adopt resolutions in support of Mhadei, Sardesai said the resolutions will not achieve anything good for Mhadei when the resolutions ask people to come together, and the case does not come up for hearing.
He reminded how the people of Goa had unitedly got official status recognition for the Konkani language when the political class were dilly-dallying on the language issue.
“The political class has failed the people of Goa. Hence, it is time the people take over the battle to save and protect Mhadei. I am with the people of Goa and my support the call given by activists and NGO to hold a rally at Sankhali on January 16," he said while interacting with the media on the sidelines of a work launching programme at Chandrawado in Fatorda constituency.
Saying that Goa will be starved of water from Mhadei one day going by the way the government has conducted itself on the burning issue, Sardesai said jobs and cash given by the BJP government will not matter to the people when they will be starved of drinking water.
“The political class cannot give justice to Mhadei. Konkani became the official language because the people of Goa unitedly launched the agitation. Herculano Dourado had moved a resolution on Konkani, but the official status came only after Goans hit the streets. India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru gave us the Opinion poll, but Goa remained separate only after Goans went to the booths to vote against the merger. The Mhadei should become a people’s movement. Only a people’s movemen can save Mhadei and Goa,” he added.
Saying the battle to save Mhadei will start from the Chief Minister’s Sankhali constituency, the Goa Forward chief charged the two national parties are no more interested in protecting State’s interests simply because Karnataka has more Lok Sabha seats than Goa.
...Pooh-poohs resolutions at local bodies
MARGAO:
Pooh poohing the resolution exercise undertaken by the BJP at the Panchayat and Municipalities level to support Mhadei, Goa Forward chief Vijai Sardesai on Sunday said the government should ensure that a resolution is first adopted in the Goa Legislative Assembly to send a clear message to the Centre that the people of Goa will fight to the last to save Mhadei.
