BBSM now opposes Portuguese-Indian citizenship; Fontainhas Fest
GOANEWS DESK, PANAJI | 31 May 2016 21:22 IST
The agitation of medium of instruction at primary level in ‘Indian’ languages is now getting into the mode of ‘nationalism’ with BBSM also taking up issues of revival of Fontainhas Festival and Portuguese citizenship of Goans.
“Besides the MoI issue, we have also decided to oppose centre’s plan to set up Dual Citizenship Authority in Goa and state government’s plan to revive Fontainhas Festival”, said Subhash Velingkar, Goa’s RSS chief.
Echoing his sentiments, Arvind Bhatikar, a staunch Konkani protagonist, alleged that the BJP governments at the centre and in Goa are taking up such ‘anti-national’ steps in order to woo the Christian minorities.
Union minister of state for home Kiren Rijju had recently announced in Goa that the issue of dual citizenship of Goans would be resolved shortly and centre would set up an Authority in Goa to deal with it, on case-to-case basis.
Thousands of Goans have opted for Portuguese citizenship to avail employment in UK, as a result of which they are losing Indian citizenship and their rights.
Rijju had said the centre has already received a report in this regard with recommendations to resolve this issue without losing Indian citizenship of Goans.
“We have enough anti-national activities in J&K and North East with single citizenship. I cannot imagine what would happen tomorrow if dual citizenship is granted to Indian citizens”, said Bhatikar, the retired IAS officer.
According to Velingkar, the BJP government’s journey appears to be an attempt to pull out people from the spirit of nationalism and pushing them into anti-national mode.
While the RSS had taken up the issue of revival of Fontainhas Festival during recently held election of Panaji Corporation, the BBSM has now decided to take it ahead.
BOYCOTTS, BLACK FLAGS
Meanwhile, the BBSM has decided to intensify its MoI agitation by holding demonstrations and boycotting all the government functions held all over Goa as well as showing black flags to all the BJP MLAs and ministers.
The BBSM has been pulling impressive crowd for its public meetings held in few parts of Goa, including Mandrem, Bicholim, Sankhli, Mayem and Curchorem.
“The meetings would continue in closed halls during monsoons while the agitation would now get into action against the government’s political functionaries”, said Velingkar.
While the BJP cadres are getting panic at grassroot level due to this, Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar on the Goa Statehood Day yesterday once again reiterated that they would not withdraw grants to the Church-run English medium primary schools.
The BBSM is demanding withdrawal of salary grants to the Church-run English primary schools and limit it to only ‘national’ languages like Konkani and Marathi.
