Every time I hear this, the questions that crop up in my mind are: Whether there indeed was a ‘fraud’ of such a magnitude? Who are the people responsible for this ‘fraud’? And, if we know who they are, why have we let them go scot-free?
To my misfortune, I wasn’t in Goa during this period; so, didn’t have the faintest idea as to who could these fraudsters be. Moreover, there was no one who could answer my questions.
Within the present context, I understand the word ‘fraud’ to mean “depriving Romi Konknni not only of it’s rightful place in the Official Language Act of Goa 1987 but also was a conspiracy to kill Romi Konknni and propel Devanagari Konknni to prominence.”
I am told that some of the Romi Konknni leaders who are still around and were a part of the “Konknni Porjecho Avaz (KPA)” then, were called for consultations on the issue. According to them, in the original draft of the Bill there was no such ‘clause’ as ‘Konkani means Konkani in Devanagari Script’ and that this “clause” was introduced only at the last minute without consulting any one of them.
They feigned that they came to know about this ‘clause’ only on the morning of February 5, 1987 through local English newspapers. The Official Language Bill was introduced in the assembly on July 17, 1986 and it was passed in the Assembly on February 4, 1987. I believed their feigning as genuine, till I came across the July 9th, 1986 edition of Herald. It had carried the final draft of the Official Language Bill of Goa 1987, prepared not at the last minute but much in advance sometime in 1986. The final draft contained the clause “Konkani language means the language in Devnagiri Script.” The final draft of the Bill was there in the Herald for everyone to see, seven months before it was tabled.
Now the question is: Were our Romi Konknni leaders the only ones who did not read this issue of Herald? Or, is it that our Romi Konknni leaders had taken all of us for a ride?
I have no doubt that we were sold off by our Romi Konknni leaders.
(The writer is the Convenor, Romi Lipi Action Front)
