The recent statement by Manohar Parrikar on MOPA that no force can ground Mopa Airport and that whether Goa meant only South Goa and that whether North Goa has no right to demand an Airport reflects political arrogance of the highest order by a CM. This statement of North-South divide depicts an attempt of frustration on part of the highly educated chief minister and shows failure of healthy democratic debate on issues confronting Goa.
The chief minister must realize that it is always the South that has always raised first, all the issues confronting Goa and has behaved responsibly all through, to protect Goa’s interest whether it may be of Opinion Poll at the time of merger issue or making Konkani the Official Language of the state or demanding Regional Plan to protect Goa’s ecology amid scarce land resource, and of late highlighting massive corruption in government which has unseated the Congress in Goa and given the BJP the mandate to rule to bring in the so called elusive parivarthan.
After Liberation it is always the South that led the way to highlight all Goa’s issues and even fought violent battles on streets to bring the Government in power to a standstill. Most times it is the North that has behaved irresponsibly for instance even to make Konkani the sole Official Language of Goa it is the North leadership like the Rane’s and the Khalap’s who were instrumental to bring in Marathi through the back door when it is already the official language of a much bigger state and is already a most developed language enshrined in the Indian Constitution and does not require any special protection and was not of any importance to protect Goans unique identity based on official language.
Is the CM now trying to suggest another North-South divide knowing fully well that North has more number of constituencies and South has less to form the Government. The CM must realize that the South has elected a BJP MP for the first time and during election time the candidate had promised to be with the people on the issue of MOPA and MOPA was not even on the BJP manifesto.
