during 2017 Assembly elections on issues that are likely to drive a wedge in the secular fabric prevailing among various Goan communities who have been living in perfect harmony for ages.
As you have rightly mentioned every political party has a right to fight elections and focus on issues that are close to their hearts which are supposed to bring about progress, development and welfare of people and the state. Surely they can exhort voters towards them to partake the benefits that are likely to accrue in the event they are voted for power. History will tell us that no elections since the liberation of Goa, were ever fought by any party on the basis of appeals made to woo voters by playing one community against another.
It is shocking to note that the newly formed party Goa Suraksha Manch intends to do exactly that. By demonizing Christian managements that run English medium primary schools and receiving government grants as agents of westernization of educational system, GSM wants to garner votes or as they loudly proclaim to prevent BJP-MGP coalition from coming back to power on account of their so-called Christian appeasement. Whether this will happen it’s too early to predict. However the very idea that a party wishes to come to power by sowing seeds of communalism, will send shivers of fear among the peace loving people of Goa. Such reckless statements and political activities can cause serious communal instability, clashes and eventually can lead to violence and complete disharmony. Therefore the very thought that it can provoke such an unpleasant situation needs to be condemned by all the sections of Goan communities before it is too late.
Finally if GSM truely believes that studying in mother tongue is the only solution for Goa’s problems, let them go around and convince Goans using the power of reason and persuasion instead of spewing vitriolic against Christians and other communities, who opted to send their children to Church run schools for reasons best known to them.
