Team Herald
PANJIM: The Forum for Rights of Children’s Education (FORCE) has reiterated its open challenge to two senior members of Bharatiya Bhasha Suraksha Manch (BBSM) for a debate on the Medium of Instruction (MoI).
Speaking at a meeting in Panjim on Saturday, FORCE Secretary Savio Lopes has asked retired IAS officer Arvind Bhatikar and former editor of Sunaparant, now closed, Uday Bhembre, to confront him on the issue. He had thrown the same challenge on Friday at the Margao meeting.
Recalling the indefinite hunger strike, Lopes justified the reason for his withdrawal. He told the gathering that if he had to continue it could have damaged the issue. “We compromised keeping in mind various factors. But this doesn’t mean, we lost the battle. The legislators supported our cause in writing. Since there was a fear the Bill could be sabotaged and our movement too, the hunger strike had to be stopped,” he explained. At the same time he asked the people not to get carried away by politicians.
FORCE and BBSM have been at loggerheads over the issue of grants with the latter consistently demanding that the government withdraw grants to English medium primary schools, and the former asking the State to convert the crucial MoI policy into an Act.
“Bhembre’s grandchildren have studied and passed out from English primary schools and Bhatikar ran English school ‘Models English Medium High School’ for many years until it was changed to an alternate medium after our agitation… If they have the guts, come for a debate with me at Azad Maidan,” he said addressing a public gathering in the capital on Saturday.
FORCE also condemned BBSM of attempting to divide the society on religion and caste stating majority non-Catholics are studying in the English medium primary schools.
“Some are here to destroy the language of love, peace and unity. The best way is to throw them out of Goa,” Lopes said, while slamming BBSM for calling FORCE anti-national, anti-culture and anti-language.
Lopes, who was on an indefinite hunger strike during the Monsoon Session of the Assembly, along with a large number of supporters was demanding that the July 2014 cabinet decision on MoI be converted into a legislation during the session. Eleven MLAs from the ruling formation and one from Congress had extended their support with an assurance to table the bill it in the next Assembly session.
