FRIDAY, APRIL 26, 2024
Team Herald
Konkani in Devanagari script was declared the official language of Goa, on February 4, 1987. The Goa, Daman and Diu Official Language bill, was presented to the Legislative Assembly in 1986 and passed on February 4, 1987, declaring Konkani the sole Official Language of the Union Territory of Goa, Daman and Diu with provisions for Marathi and Gujarati for Daman and Diu.
The fight for official language status for Konkani began immediately after the Liberation of Goa in the run-up to the First Goa Assembly elections and continues to this day. The Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party began espousing the merger of Goa with Maharashtra. Towards this goal, the MGP espoused Marathi as the official language of Goa. The UGP and several like-minded organizations and Konkani lovers firmly opposed the moves.
There were fierce debates in the Goa Assembly on the issue of official language status to Konkani and Marathi when MGP MLAs began to speak in Marathi. The fight reached a head when the MGP passed a private members resolution urging the Centre to declare Marathi as the official language of Goa. In 1980 the Indian National Congress declared in its manifesto that it would fight for the twin aspirations of Official Language status for Konkani and Statehood for Goa
Having failed to achieve this promise, in 1984 Congress again made this promise. However, the reluctance of the then chief minister to declare Konkani as the official language provoked the Goa Congress to take up cudgels for Konkani. Thereafter there was a prolonged and sometimes violent agitation led by the Konkani Porjecho Avaz to declare Konkani as the official language. In the agitation, Florian Vaz became the victim of a police bullet and seven others died as martyrs for the cause of Konkani.
Finally, on February 4, 1987, the Central Government under then Prime Minister of India Rajiv Gandhi directed the then Chief Minister to pass the Official Language Act giving official status to Konkani in Devanagari script as the official language with Marathi being declared as the associate official language. A few months later on May 30, 1987, Goa was also granted Statehood by the Central government headed by then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
