AAP finally gives clarity on hot potato items like Mopa & MoI

When political parties began their marathon race for the right to rule Goa, there were two hot potatoes they chose to carefully sidestep. One was the Medium of Instruction imbroglio and the other was on the Mopa airport.

It is therefore interesting to see how the three main political parties have handled the two issues in their poll campaign or manifestoes. For the BJP, there is no choice but to endorse the Mopa airport which was completely fast tracked by the Parrikar government as soon as it came to power. Starting with rapidly completing the land acquisition process and issuing of compensation cheques, the short-listing of bidders and then finally selecting project proponents, this government was on a mission.

However the AAP in its manifesto has played very smart on this. Without getting into the Dabolim versus Mopa issue, contentious to say the least, AAP has focused on the alleged project being land scam. This take over of the land and the gross underpayment of compensation which unites North and South Goa, will find resonance as much with anti-Mopa activists like Siddharth Karapurkar from South Goa, as with pro-Mopa activists like Devendra Prabhudesai from Pernem taluka, both AAP candidates.

Announcing to investigate the project for speculative land deals of more than 50 lakh square meters is welcome and will unite both sides of the argument. AAP has clearly, inspite of initial hiccups and doubts, gone into the core of the current Mopa unrest rather than waste its time on larger issues like the two airport theory. Neither the BJP nor the Congress can afford to go after land deals around Mopa, because they or some of their family members have connections with those lands. If AAP, manages to handle the Mopa issue through the land grab route, it will attract the maximum number of people.

The Congress, meanwhile is so busy either making or breaking its alliance with Goa Forward, that these issues of concern do not fit into their scheme of things right now.

On the Medium of Instruction, the BJP has said - boldly if one may add - that grants to such English medium schools will not be withdrawn. AAP has elaborated this, after collating responses during its Goa dialogues, seeking to balance this finely. It broadly states existing grants to schools will be continued…is committed to affordable and quality education for all. MoI should be decided not by politicians or language protagonists… A committee of expert educationists will be set up and finally special efforts and focus will be provided to protect and promote local languages.

Here again the quality of education has been picked to offset and prevent any unrest on the grants issue. Some doubts have been privately mentioned by the Forum for Children in Education (FORCE) saying if grants will be given, why is there a need for an experts committee. Here one understands that the decision to give grants is not dependent on the committee of experts whose role will to further explore ways of not letting the issue remain contentious.

 The Congress has still not managed to give its own solution to the issue or even suggest the way forward after its own government announced grants for English schools.

So some parties have spoken, and others not spoken clearly.

Now let people decide.