SANGUEM: Octogenarian Dr Shankar Nadkarni from Sanguem, who was a student at the time of the Opinion Poll in 1967, actively participated in it after he was approached by the anti-merger faction to canvass for them.
“If not for the Opinion Poll, today Goa would probably be just a taluka of Maharashtra,” he opined adding that development would have been a distant dream.
Dr Nadkarni recalled that given the fact that many Goans were then going to Mumbai for jobs, those in favour of merger promised reservation of jobs for Goan as an incentive to vote for merger.
“Government should organise school level programmes to educate the present generation of the reason and result of Opinion Poll,” he said adding that the valiant battle waged by stalwarts such as Dr Jack de Sequeira, Ulhas Buyao, Chandrakant Keni and others has to be made known to the present generation.
“Though the lion’s (referring to MGP’s symbol) roar was loud, it could not match the intellect of Goa’s well wishers,” he chuckled.
OUR QUEPEM
CORRESPONDENT ADDS:
“For me Opinion Poll Day is very special, as it is because of this that we have got our own identity as Goans. We have emerged as one of the smaller States in India because of Opinion Poll” said Lata Bhandari from Sanvordem remembering that period.
While expressing gratitude to all those who voted against the merger of Goa with Maharashtra, she also thanked late Rajiv Gandhi for granting Statehood to Goa.
Incidentally, Quepem taluka despite being in the new conquest areas, both constituencies here had voted against merger with Maharashtra.
However, Sindhu Dessai, a retired teacher from Assolda who voted against merger, appears to be disappointed with the way Goa has progressed since that historic day.
“At that time, we felt that being separate we shall have clean and corruption free society. But today we see corruption at every level and this is not the Goa that we had voted for then,” she said.
