If the murmurs in the minority dominated Salcete taluka are anything to go by, the recently concluded ZP elections can be construed as a harbinger of change.
The electorate has sent a fitting reply to the BJP government who many in Salcete feel have been masquerading as pro minority but chose to look the other way, when the minority population in the country has been on the receiving end of vitriolic abuse.
“It is becoming increasingly common to hear politicians and other national leaders make statements that are deeply offensive to the minority
community. How do you think that makes us feel?,“ said an irate local from Colva.
Moreover, this brings into sharp focus the role of the catholic MLAs from Salcete who are supporting the BJP state regime. These MLAs had helped BJP breach the Salcete bastion in the 2012 assembly elections but the same people who had elected them to power were left wondering if the same MLAs were now reduced to mute spectators.
Take for instance the recent statements made
by RSS chief RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat’s comments
on Mother Teresa on conversions.
All four MLAs, Nuvem MLA Fransisco Mickky
Pacheco, Navelim MLA Avertano Furtado, Benaulim
MLA Caitu Silva and Velim MLA Benjamin
D’silva were quick to react and condemn Bhagwat’s
statements.
But the question on people’s mind was if this
was enough or was it a case of too little too late.
What about other anti-minority statements made
on the homefront and across the country.
It took former Benaulim and Navelim MLA
Churchill Alemao to the bat for the minorities and
criticize the government for pursuing the Hindutva
ideology and Lata Dhavalikar’ for her statements
linking western culture and studying in convent
schools to the rise in rape cases.
This was in February. In March, BJP was confident
of riding the storm in the Zilla Panchayat elections
having won the 2014 Lok Sabha election seat
in South Goa and managed to get over 4,000 votes
in all assembly segments of Salcete.
As it turned out, the BJP won only three of the
total nine ZP seats in Salcete as the remaining six
were won by independent candidates. As many as
five candidates, either fielded or backed by the Goa
Vikas Party(GVP), BJP and MLAs Caitu Silva and
Benjamin D’Silva bit the dust. GVP won two while
BJP managed to win just one.
Even in Navelim, the BJP managed to win the
Davorlim seat only after the opposition vote was
split.
Adding to their woes, both Navelim MLA and
Velim MLA had to face the wrath of their close supporters
due to the reservation of Navelim and Velim
ZP constituencies for OBC and OBC (women) respectively,
due to which some of them could not
contest
It may be recalled that deputy Chief minister
Francisco D’souza, looking at the BJP performance
in the state as far as ZP elections had called for the
‘BJP leaders to take these signals seriously and try
to rectify the mistakes if they had occurred.
As the BJP tries to regroup its forces, the biggest
challenge will be faced by the independent MLA’s
who supported them- Avertano Furtado, Benjamin
Silva and Caitu Silva and his ‘supremo’ Mickky
Pacheco. Their silence through the period when
the BJP and its elements have been making statements
and taking positions that are deeply hurtful
to the minorities has led to a cacophony of resentment
The feeling of disenchantment has gained
strength after the departure of former chief minister
Manohar Parrikar.
Parrikar used a time and tested tactic where he
would personally visit the three constituencies and
summarily make lengthy promises to usher in development
worth crores of rupees and at the same
time continue to harp on the misgivings of the erstwhile
Congress government and political heavyweights.
However, the trouble began brewing against
Parrikar and the government over his delay in resolving
contentious issues such as the regional
plan, medium of instruction, the fate of Dabolim
airport, special status, and commemoration of Dr.
Jack Sequeira and so on.
Regional Plan
During the tenure of the previous Congress led
government, the opposition fought for a people
centric regional plan and every gram sabha in Salcete
formed village committees and passed resolution
after resolution opposing the regional plan.
The independent MLA’s also echoed their strong
support to the peoples movement and assured the
voters that if elected they would demand for a
speedy solution to save Goa’s land.
The village panchayats of Salcete in particular
each passed a resolution demanding that the government
push for special status and were hopeful
that there would be a greater push ever since the
BJP took over the central government as well.
The three MLAs won’t miss a beat to nod their
head in approval and claim that they will pursue the
same matter with the government and chief minister
and were fully with the people.
Land for Dabolim
The same promise was made by the same set of
MLAs at the first public meeting held at Lohia
Maidan by Goans For Dabolim Only (GFDO). Mr
Parriikar who ostensibly refused to even consider
the request of the Xaxtikars to get the Navy to provide
the necessary land for the expansion of the airport
is now the Defence Minister of the country.
The people of Salcete were continued to be disappointed
as their demands and meetings in each of
the three constituencies were only met with lip
service and promises galore to speak to the government
but even with Parrikar at the helm of affairs,
no such push has been forthcoming. These
small constituency based public meetings were
held in the run up to the Lok Sabha elections and
ten months later their pledges seem to have taken
a backseat.
Medium of Instruction
The medium of instruction issue practically brought
both the Congress and the BJP government to its
knees and this was a burning issue for the Salcete
minority community in particular. Even then, two
assembly sessions have come and gone and the
requisite amendments to the education Act has yet
to see the light of day.
It is pertinent to note that it was only the Goa
Vikas Party that had put the MOI issue on their manifesto
but since becoming a coalition partner of the
government, there has not been much noise. While
the Forum For Rights of Children’s Education
(FORCE) has promised to kick start the people’s
movement till the ACT is passed, it remains to be
seen if the MLAs join the fight or simply watch from
the sidelines.
When it comes to the Church and recent negative
comments against the catholic community,
the MLAs appear to be wary at commenting after
having endured a difficult time during the Lok
Sabha elections. At that time, priests were the target
of some criticism from the then chief minister
Manohar Parrikar itself and the two GVP MLAs also
expressed their reservations against priests getting
involved in the election rhetoric.
Benaulim MLA Caitu Silva in particular took on
some comments he believed were made against
him and the issue was embroiled in controversy.
The people of Salcete looked up to their MLAs
to defend the honour of priests and nuns in recent
times but they were found wanting again.
As we go into the final stretch of this government,
these MLA’s who were voted not because
they were going to support the BJP, but seemed as
refreshing independent faces against the Congress,
have lost their independence and seen acolytes of
the BJP. Their political DNA has changed and with
it their fortunes
