Karsten Miranda
MARGAO: The protests and demonstrations across Goa are alarming, while the several corruption cases are portraying Goa in a very poor light. The JICA-Louis Berger case, the Tiracol Golf Course case, the government’s handling of casinos, Medium of Instruction (MoI), giving land at Betul to the Defence Ministry, the Velim church raid case and the regional plan are the latest examples.
Many believe nothing has changed since the Congress government’s regime. Trawler owner Minguel Rodrigues feels the issues that should have been handled by the Congress have now gone out of hand. He was critical of the manner in which government proposals were opposed and wondered what would be the future if the government was not allowed to carry out good work.
“Tiracol, JICA, MoI, and other scams have exposed that BJP is as corrupt as the Congress. During the Congress regime, ‘everyone’ was for sale. During the BJP rule, ‘everything’ is for sale,” said activist Avinash Tavares from Cuncolim. He added, “The government is not just handling these situations badly; they are sabotaging all cases to favour those who break the law and destroy the economy, society, environment and fragile biodiversity of Goa.”
Industrialist Blaise Costabir said he was disillusioned given his faith in the BJP when it came to power and added that the captain had changed but the boat is still the same. He said, “The government is confused and working at cross purposes. It talks of a free hand in the Louis Berger case, but the Chief Minister is giving his opinion on Tiracol. He refuses to book Leading Hotel bouncers, but decides to book Velim individuals or overlooks the Velip (Balli) issue. Why can’t we have a rule of law: you protest, you get booked. Why should a protester be freed in one case and not in another?
Assolna-based advocate Gustavo Clovis Da Costa pointed out that people had voted for the BJP due to the corruption and inefficiency of the Congress. He added, “The way the government has handled issues like Tiracol, wherein the government and particularly the CM is encouraging the use of muscle power to silence the villagers, is disheartening.”
While Blaise was in favour of giving land at Betul to the Defence Ministry on the grounds that the land won’t be misused in the way several GIDC plots have been lately, Gustavo felt the decision was unacceptable as the same would not benefit locals. Besides, considering the size of Goa, Goans were facing a scarcity of land.
Slamming the government on the Betul land issue, Dr Francisco Colaco felt there was no need for such an exhibition in Goa since they were being held successfully elsewhere and crores would be spent on infrastructure that wouldn’t help Goans. He added, “Goans needs space for low-cost housing as they find it difficult to buy land as real-estate prices have soared.”
Colva businessman Trevor Saldanha felt everything happening in Goa was due to political vendettas and the issues of the people were getting lost in the bargain. He said, “We have seen how the government used the Crime Branch to implicate Tarun Tejpal and keep him in custody for months.”
Adv Gustavo Tavares said he had lost faith in Goa Police, and hence, the Louis Berger case should be handed over to the CBI. He said the Parsekar government is not competent enough to investigate a complex scam like JICA, which cuts across parties, States and even countries.
Dr Colaco also feels the BJP used the JICA-Louis Berger scam to deflect the nation’s attention after the Lalitgate and Vyapam scam, which embarrassed Prime Minister Narendra Modi given his boasts of a corruption-free government. He said, “It is not my intention to plead that Digambar and Churchill are innocent, but the alleged bribes and money trail must be proved in court. CBI should take charge of the investigation and everyone who dealt with Louis Berger, but the leaking of names, the midnight arrests and the character assassination that is being resorted to is truly reminiscent of the Gestapo. Are we in a dictatorship where cases against the BJP are hushed and cases against opponents are dealt with an iron hand?”
Navelim activist Sidharth Karapurkar questioned why Rs 35,000 crore from the mining scam had not been recovered and alleged that even though the treasury was nearly empty, the government was protecting corporates and using people only as vote machines.
Seafarer community leader Michael Beny da Costa from Chinchinim was also irked with the government’s handling of the Velim church incident. He questioned why the government had failed to carry out an inquiry and book those responsible for the attack.
On the MoI issue, Dr Colaco felt that polarization is the name of the game. He said, “The MoI issue, which could have been solved amicably, has come in handy for the BJP to polarise communities by using self-respecting people like Arvind Bhatikar, Uday Bhembre and Fr Mousinho Athaide.”
As Trevor Saldanha pointed out, Goa is making headlines for all the wrong reasons, but in a year’s time, the same people will be free and making headlines for other reasons.
