PANJIM: The State government has decided to constitute a committee of legal expert to examine the legalities pertaining to Goa’s demand for Special Status under article 371 of the Constitution for protection of land resources and the State’s identity.
A delegation led by Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar would be meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home Minister Rajnath Singh to pursue this demand for special status in the first week of November.
Parrikar, who landed in Goa Tuesday morning from Maharashtra, held a meeting with Minister for Environment and Forests Alina Saldanha and members of Goa’s Movement for Special Status (GMSS), a front formed by former tourism minister late Matanhy Saldanha, to discuss the demand for Special Status.
The meeting unanimously resolved to formulate a 15-member legal experts committee, with representatives from government and GMSS, to study the legalities of the demand.
Speaking to media persons after the meeting, Alina said that special status is not an issue to be decided in just one meeting, but needs thorough deliberation. She said that government would shortly constitute a legal committee to discuss and examine the legality of the demand.
“The committee will examine each and every detail of the demand and recommend how to go ahead,” Alina said.
The Minister said that by next month, probably November 5, a delegation would go to New Delhi, where a fresh proposal would be placed before the Central government.
GMSS president Prajal Sakhardande said that GMSS had submitted a 22-point agenda to government listing out why the State needs special status under article 371 of the Constitution.
He said that there was an urgent need to control the uncontrolled influx of migrants, destruction of land resources, job security for Goans and protection of identity.
GMSS has suggested total nine names which include Alina, MP Narendra Sawaikar, Sakhardande, Adv Thalmann Pereira, Adv Jatin Naik, singer Hema Sardessai, Gurudas Kamat, Fr Bismarck, Amol Navelkar and Dr Avertano Afonso.
It can be recalled that Central government during the Rajya Sabha session had informed that the State’s demand was unconstitutional, not justifiable and hence cannot be accepted. Goa had submitted its proposal in August 2013 to then Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh.
Following the Centre’s rejection, chief minister had admitted in the House that the stand of Rajya Sabha was based on the ‘ambiguous’ proposal sent by the government and that a fresh concrete proposal demanding Special Status would be drafted and submitted to the Centre.
