GMFSS said that it is becoming more obvious with every utterance made by BJP representatives, both at the State and Centre, that the issue of special status was only a ploy to fool Goans into voting the BJP to power in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
GMFSS has also questioned Parsekar on whether the unanimous resolution passed in the Goa Legislative Assembly in April 2013 is also a “mirage”.
“It does not augur well for a government that claims to have zero tolerance for corruption to mislead the people of Goa during and after the last parliamentary elections into believing that if both seats, North and South, are won for the BJP, the victory will give the state government the right to demand special status for Goa from the Centre,” said GMFSS in a press statement issued on Saturday.
The GMFSS has demanded to know the efforts made by South Goa MP Narendra Sawaikar to fulfill his promise of special status, which he used as a plank for his campaign. It also questioned why then Chief Minister and present Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, had held several meetings with GMFSS to discuss the demand for special status.
Why did Parrikar have meetings to constitute the legal cell that was to draft this demand to be placed before the Centre? Why did he promise GMFSS that he would lead an ‘all-party delegation’ to Delhi to meet and place the demand before the Prime Minister/Home Minister?,” said Ajay Pereira, GMFSS secretary.
GMFSS has requested Parsekar not to confuse the Goans by failing to differentiate between Special Status under Article 371, which is the demand of the people, and Economic Special Status. “Goans demand Special Status under Article 371 and not ESS, a fact that was appreciated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Sankalp rally in Merces, to kick off the parliamentary election campaign in Goa. Is this also a mirage? And has Modi, now that he has become the prime minister, forgotten his promise to the people of Goa on Goan soil?” said Pereira
GMFSS’ stated that the special status is for the protection of Goa’s identity, culture and scarce resources, but it appeared that these are not the concerns of the Goa government, which appears to be focused on policies and projects for vested interests.
GMFSS stated that the resolution for special status for Goa was unanimously passed by the Assembly by all 40 MLAs, including the present and former chief ministers and the legislators of the opposition. It added, “It is therefore the responsibility of all 40 elected representatives to pursue this demand and not just that of former Environment Minister Alina Saldanha or GMFSS. However, GMFSS will continue its struggle until it achieves its goal of special status for Goa in the interest of Goa and its people.”
