It is early days still for the 2017 State Assembly elections that are about five months away but there is already a move for a new hard line and rabid communal formation. The President of the Goa Suraksha Manch, a political party that was announced on Gandhi Jayanti, and is less than a week old, told Herald that what drove the leaders of the Bharatiya Bhasha Suraksha Manch to the political battle field is the Bharatiya Janata Party’s ‘Christian appeasement and westernisation of the education system.
The Bharatiya Bhasha Suraksha Manch was formed during the term of the previous government when the then dispensation decided to amend a two-decade old policy and give grants to primary schools whose medium of instruction is English. Until then grants were given only to primary schools whose teaching was in the mother tongue. Most school that benefited from the changed policy were those that come under the umbrella of the Archdiocesan Board of Education, including schools run by the Diocesan Society of Education. At that time the BBSM had joined hands with the BJP opposing the decision, but after it was voted to power the BJP-led government decided to continue with this policy and that’s when there was a falling out between the two partners, leading to acrimony, even a split in the RSS and ultimately the formation of the political party.
Goa Suraksha Manch’s policy over grants to English primary schools is a known fact, but their argument that continuing with grants to English primary schools results in ‘Christian appeasement’, is a crass attempt at using religion to mobilise support and votes. This should be condemned across sections. Communal politics should find no place in Goa. Such politics is divisive and has the potential to rip the fabric of society. Goa has existed in peace and a political party that is formed in the belief that the government of the day is involved in ‘Christian appeasement’ proclaims loudly its communal colours, nt even attempting to hide behind the veil of secularism that many other parties that have a communal bent have been doing.
Power that arises from any form of communal politics can be bad as it can lead to communal violence. Goa Suraksha Manch, therefore, needs to rethink its policies. It has every right to fight for the mother tongue and promote it, but it has to keep away from making communal statements or statement that can be construed as communal. With one statement, with which it was possibly hoping to gain brownie points with certain communities, it has alienated itself from the Christian community. It should also keep in mind that students enrolled in the schools that have English as the medium of instruction are not all Christians. There are many children from other communities that study in the schools administered by the Church.
It is further alarming Goa Suraksha Manch will not enter the political fray alone. It is likely to be joined by the Shiv Sena in the elections, and is keeping the doors open for the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), though the latter is an ally of the government with two ministers. A question that the MGP, which is the oldest regional political party will have to answer before it decides on an alliance with GSM, is whether it wants to be tagged as a communal party in a secular State.
Gandhiji stood for peace and religious harmony. He propagated non-violence and is the world’s icon for peace. He was against the physical partition of India and any partition of the people on religious lines. It is ironic that a party that wants to fight against what it calls ‘Christian appeasement’ should have been announced on his birth anniversary. It would be a fitting tribute to Gandhiji if Goans were to rise above their religious beliefs and reject all forms of communal politics that can only divide the community rather than unite.
