MARGAO
The Global Konknni Forum has expressed its shock at the statement by Konknni Basha Mandal (KBM) President Ratnamala Divkar, that the Devnagari Lobby is not against Romi Konknni, saying her statement that Roman Script Konknni is getting equal treatment from KBM and the government, is totally false, misleading and unacceptable.
"Ratnamala says that Romi cannot be given equal status, along with Devnagari, as the official script of Konknni in the Official Language Act, because of the policy of the Sahitya Akademi which follows 'One language, one script' policy. GKF would like to state that first of all, this policy of the Sahitya Akademi totally goes against the Constitution of India, especially Article 14 which guarantees equality before the law," stated GKF secretary Jose Salvador Fernandes
He said the GKF would like to know what criteria were used by the Konknni Advisory Board of Sahitya Akademi in 1981 when they unanimously passed the resolution to give recognition to only Devnagari script as sole official script of the Konknni language? "This one script policy is therefore discriminating against the four other Scripts of Konknni, and needs to be challenged in the court of law. The nation’s mantra is unity in diversity, he said.
"KBM President says there is no different treatment given to Romi Script by KBM. The representation of Roman Script members on KBM executive committee speaks for itself. Moreover, discrimination towards Roman script is also seen at the government level, where the Dalgado Konknni Akademi is not given grants on par with Goa Konknni Akademi," he said.
He added: "The KBM President, and other protagonists of Devnagari are definitely against Romi Script, otherwise I challenge her to say that, she or KBM does not have any objections to Konknni in Roman Script being introduced in the schools. This will prove that she or KBM is not against Romi Konknni, because the Sahitya Akademi and the Official Language Act has no restrictions, with Romi being introduced in schools. Even the new Education Policy does not impose any language or script on any school. Then why is KBM and other Devnagari leaders like Uday Bhembre, Damodar Mauzo are against introducing Roman Script in schools? The Devnagari protagonists want to choke the script to a slow death."
Salvador further pointed out that the KBM President further says that GKF is trying to create a religious divide, which is totally false and is made with a malafide intent to polarise two communities. "In fact, the day the clause 'Konknni means Konknni written in Devnagari script" was inserted in OLA 1987, that very day the seeds of religious divide were sowed, betraying the 95 per cent of Romi Script protagonists who participated in the language agitation. It is insane and baseless on the part of KBM President to accuse Roman script protagonists as communal. We are only asking for our rights as religious and linguistic minorities, as it is our fundamental right as per article 29 (1), which gives all Minorities the right to protect their language script and culture. GKF is simply demanding its rights as minority citizens of India," he added.
"When we are not opposing the inclusion of Devnagari in the OLA, then how are we creating a divide?" Salvador further questioned.
