PANJIM: Seeking to tide over the virtual crisis created with the dashing of hopes on rejection of Special Status for Goa, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar has claimed that the Centre’s reply in the Rajya Sabha was a reaction to the ‘ambiguous’ proposal sent by the State government. Parrikar promised that a fresh concrete crystal-clear proposal for Special Status for protection of land resources that would identify whether it could be done through a constitutional amendment or by enacting a fresh law, would be submitted to Centre by September end. Also an all-party delegation would be taken to New Delhi with the demand, he said.
Chief Minister also gave an assurance that the State BJP-led government would make efforts to get Special Status for Goa and there is no need for any anxiety due to the reply tabled in the Rajya Sabha.
“That reply was as per that date…we too made certain mistakes in our earlier proposal, where we demanded special status under Article 371 of Constitution similar to that of Mizoram and Himachal Pradesh…whereas both the states are not granted special status under that article,” he said.
Parrikar, replying to the calling attention motion moved by his colleague Pramod Sawant and Independent MLA Vijai Sardesai, said that in consultation with all party leaders and legal experts, a concrete proposal would be drafted and submitted to Union government by September end.
“We will request that the proposal be considered either by amending the Constitution or by enacting new central legislation or by a state legislation as per the Constitution,” he said.
The Chief Minister informed the House that the Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh recently through a telephonic communication wanted to know the specific nature of Goa’s demand. “The State is requesting for special status to protect the identity of its people as well as its limited land resources and not based on any financial package,” he said.
“I have indicated to the Union Minister that we will visit Delhi along with an all-party delegation in September with a comprehensive proposal and which is articulated in a crystal clear manner,” Parrikar said adding that Rajnath has agreed to have detailed discussion on the matter.
“I assure this House that we will fight to the best (of our ability) to get the proposal done. We will measure up to people’s satisfaction…it might take time,” he said.
Participating in the discussion, legislators including Rohan Khaunte and Nilesh Cabral suggested that government should enact its own law to protect and restrict sale of land to non Goans, to which, Chief Minister replied ‘it is against the Constitution…but we are working on introducing a legislation to ban sale or conversion of agricultural land’.
He was supported by former Chief Minister and Congress MLA Digambar Kamat who recalled that in 2011 the State had unanimously passed a legislation banning sale of land to outsiders, the proposal was rejected stating “it overrules Constitutional provisions”.
