TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: While the government is facing the heat over decision on the Medium of Instruction issue and the state is edging towards another controversy concerning the script, as the Lok Sabha elections are virtually at the door step, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar refused to be drawn into the controversy.
The issue threatens to snowball given the high octane 2014 elections, as now, in addition to the row over the scripts, Marathi supporters are jumping onto the bandwagon by threatening to launch an agitation if Marathi is not recognized as the official language of the State before 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
The Kala Academy had recently announced separate award to Konknni literature in the Roman script but Goa Konkanni Akademi wants this decision to be overturned.
The script issue took a further twist with Romi protoganists counter attacking by saying that when in 1987 the Official Language Act of Goa was passed, it was fraudulently mentioned in the Act that Konknni in Devnagari script would be the Official Language.
“In fact this was the great betrayal to the protagonists of Konknni in Romi script because of whose support the Konknni language became the Official Language of Goa,” the pro Romi script lobby argued.
“Ask those people who have created it (controversy),” was Parrikar’s reaction when asked about government’s stand on the issue. The Chief Minister who is already under pressure on the still unresolved MoI issue was speaking to media persons on the sidelines of the Human Resource Conference underway at Kala Academy.
Chief Minister’s statement came almost an hour after Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) demanded his intervention in resolving the vexed issue. “Why is the chief minister is silent on the issue…he needs to intervene and resolve it…his silence raises a question whether he is behind the entire controversy,” NCP spokesman said during a press conference on Thursday afternoon.
The party alleged that it looks that a well planned plot has been created to finish Konknni language thereby giving a backdoor entry to Marathi.
“The failure of GKA is very clear from the fact that nobody wants to go for Konknni education at primary level. The government funded organization has failed completely in the upliftment of the language,” the NCP said.
Four organizations namely, Dalgado Konknni Akademi, Jagotik Konknni Songhotton (Global Konknni Organisation), Romi Lipi Action Front and Tiatr Academy Goa strongly support the decision taken by the Chairman of Kala Academy on giving separate literary award not only to Konknni in Romi script but also for books in English and in other regional languages written by Goans.
It is after the Act was implemented that some leaders of Devnagari lobby such as Uday Bhembre, Pundalik Naik, Naguesh Karmali, Arvind Bhatikar, Fr Mousinho Ataide and others worked directly or indirectly to stop the promotion and development of Konknni in Romi script.
According to the organizations their selfish actions are that they stopped Kala Academy from giving awards to Konknni in Romi script as they controlled the Kala Academy committees. The reason given was that the Official Language Act recognizes Konknni in Devnagri script only; also GKA did not help in any way for the promotion and development of Konknni in Romi script. It was only in 2005 that the Goa government with an Assembly resolution, directed the GKA to provide funds for the promotion and development of Konknni in Romi script. They also alleged that this lobby succeeded in manipulating the Konknni movement at all levels. At the Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi their manipulative tactics have helped them to keep away the protagonists of Konknni in Romi script, since the recognition of Konknni by Sahitya Akademi in 1976.
With all these actions, it only proves that Devnagari lobby is all out to destroy Konknni in Romi script, they alleged.
