Luizinho Faleiro
PANJIM: The battle for Konkani and Statehood has been the most passionate of movements Goa has ever seen or that Goans will ever witness. While the Opinion Poll of 1967 may have settled the question of merger of Goa with Maharashtra, it neither protected Konkani nor granted Statehood to Goa.
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It was a status quo and it was over 25 years after Liberation that we were able to obtain Official Language recognition for Konkani and Statehood for Goa. Neither would have been achievable had it not been for the people who, unlike at other times, came together, stood resolutely and did not waver in their determination to make Konkani the Official Language of Goa.
It turned into a veritable battle waged by the people of a pacific land, a land that has since time immemorial been known for its unique history, geography, culture and, most important
of all, peace.
In early January 1987, the Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi sent an emissary to Goa with directions to his party to pass the Official Language Bill. On January 11, 1987, Congress party observers came to Goa and met with the party MLAs. The Konknni Porjecho Avaz and Goa Congress also met the Congress party observers for detailed discussions.
But the struggle was far from over as the MGP was not ready to accept sole Official Language status to Konkani. On January 31, 1987, the demand for Marathi was reiterated. On February 2, 1987, the Chief Minister gave notice to the Speaker Dayanand Narvekar requesting to schedule the Official Language Bill that had been introduced in the previous session for discussion in the forthcoming session.
At 3.30 pm on February 4, 1987, at the end of Question Hour, the Speaker Dayanand Narvekar adjourned the House.
He said that the Business Advisory Committee would go into session to discuss the rescheduling of the Language Bill.
When the Assembly reconvened at 4.25 pm, the Speaker announced a motion to revise the business of the House so as to consider and pass the Official Language Bill on the same day. The MGP opposed this, but I supported it and this motion was passed.
During the debate on the Language Bill, I moved an amendment seeking the continued use of the Roman script for Konkani. The amendment was to clause 2(c) where I sought the introduction of the words ‘and Roman’ be added after Devanagari. I explained in the Assembly why I was introducing this amendment, which was because although we accepted Devanagari as the script for Konkani, 450 years of Portuguese rule had ensured that the language was kept alive in the Roman script and that there were many Goans who would benefit by retaining the use of Konkani in the Roman script.
Another amendment I had proposed was that clause 3 be deleted and be replaced by clause 3 and 4. This was supported by Independent MLAs Uday Bhembre and Francisco Branco. There was no response to this amendment from the Chief Minister or anyone from the treasury benches. In all six amendments were moved during the debate, but only one moved by six Congress MLAs and the two MLAs of Daman and Diu was admitted. This amendment was to provide the use of Marathi for all or any official purposes. Along with Uday Bhembre and Francisco Branco, I walked out of the Assembly in protest over this amendment.
Walking out I said, ‘I do not want to move any amendment, and I walk out in protest because this is blackmail of the people who wanted to merge Goa with Maharashtra and this government has succumbed to the blackmail. Today is a black day for the people of this territory and the people will not tolerate this. They have murdered Konkani and I walk out in protest.’
I walked out, but along with Bhembre and Branco, returned to pass the Official Language Bill and create history.
(Luizinho Faleiro is a former Chief Minister of Goa. This is a very abridged version of his book, ‘The battle for Konkani and Statehood of Goa’ that chronicles his recollections of the movement.)
