Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar’s clashes with the previous Congress led – UPA government were the subject of many news reports.
He gave quotes after quotes, literally on the tap, as the poster boy of the BJP’s resurgent war machine steam rolled towards what was an expected victory in the Lok Sabha – though the quantum of victory had probably surprised even the BJP think tank. In the period before the elections Parrikar had taken on the government on issues that varied from then Kastiruranjan Committee reports to the draft notification on buffer zones, the mining policy, mining package, upto and till the transfer of officials and even the circulation of forged notes.
Nothing was out of the reach of the Chief Minister who had very convincing arguments against an essentially a lame duck Congress-led
UPA that was basically hamstrung by its own internal contradictions the perception of having done nothing and buffeted for being corrupt
allayed with the arrogance and disconnect of its leaders from the masses – a perception cleverly used by the BJP and Parrikar himself.
These were the specific flashpoints: BUFFER ZONES: The Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar had objected to Union Environment Ministry’s draft notification for immediate closure of mines within the buffer zone of one kilometre. The State government had recommended
that the buffer zone be 500 metres and the mines be phased out in 5-10 years. The State, namely principal secretary (environment
and forests) R K Srivastava had sent a letter to MoEF objecting to the ministry’s draft notification on the Western Ghats demanding the
immediate withdrawal of the MoEF draft notification, dated March 10, which has called for objections and suggestions from interested
parties. The draft notification had said that mines located within 1 km from sanctuaries and national parks should be immediately suspended.
In the letter, the government had complained that the MoEF notification had ignored the States land constraints. FAKE CURRENCY NOTES: At the annual general body meeting of Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Chief Minister had accused the Centre of failing to take effective steps to curb circulation of fake currency notes in the Indian market. He said in most of the cases when banks find duplicate notes, they don’t report it to the police because the cops arrest the person who has the note, but just cross it out and give it back to the customer without accepting it. He said that he had brought it to the notice of the then Union Home Minister P Chidambaram, who said
that it is a state subject
and they should deal
with it.
MINING BAN:
Parrikar had also
charged the Centre
with adopting double
standards on solving
the crisis affecting
the mining industry
even as then union
Finance Minister P
Chidambaram acknowledged that
the ban on mining has contributed
to the economic meltdown, while
his other cabinet colleagues were
accused of behaving differently.
Referring to the present ban
on mining due to irregularities and
illegal mining and its export, Parrikar
had argued that it was for sins of
past Government for which the
current Government had to pay a
heavy price and this was possible
only because of the connivance by
those in Environment Ministry who
had issued indiscriminate and illegal
Environment Clearance Certificates.
SHARE OF MINING: Parrikar
urged the Centre to help the State
with a rehabilitation package, arguing
that it always had a disproportionate
share of mining. According to him the
Centre got Rs 7,000 crore income, as
against Rs 1,000 crore gained by State
in a year. He said “The rehabilitation
efforts needs support and
contribution by way of a generous
Special Financial Package from the
Central Government and asked the
then Prime Minister Dr Manmohan
Singh to give due attention to this
problem.
There has been no response or
even an assurance from the Centre.
SPECIAL STATUS: Chief Minister
Manohar Parrikar pleaded with the
Centre for Special Status for Goa
under Article 371 arguing that there
was large scale land purchase by
foreigners and corporates, and a fear
of loss of identity. Parrikar said it was
impossible for locals to buy land.
Union Minister of State for
Home Affairs, Kiren Rijiju said in a
written reply to Goa Rajya Sabha MP
Shantaram Naik; that “the demand for
grant of Special Status to Goa has not
been found justifiable and hence not
agreed to”.
OTHER PEEVES
GADGIL MUKHERJEE FORMULA
MIS-MATCH: He had alleged that
injustice had been done to small and
progressive states as the Gadgil-
Mukerjee formula results in injustice
especially as Goa contributes Rs
10,000 crore to the Centre while
getting back less than Rs 800 crore.
CENTRAL SCHEMES NOT
GOA-FRIENDLY: The Chief Minister
had alleged that schemes devised by
the Centre were divorced from local
realities and in many cases nonimplementable.
MANAGEMENT OF AGMUT
CADRE: He wanted the Prime Minister
to direct the bureaucracy in MHA
to be more sensitive and stop this
potentially developing clash between
States & Centre on management of
AGMUT Cadre.
DIVERSION OF THE MHADEI
WATERS: He had accused the Centre
of lack of initiative on solving issue,
whether on the Mhadei diversion by
Karnataka or the “politically motivated
stoppage” of water from Tillari by
Maharashtra.
