Sawal makes a ‘private’ move for official status to Marathi
GOANEWS DESK, PANAJI | 21 December 2015 23:33 IST
In order to satisfy the Marathi protagonists, Bicholim independent MLA Naresh Sawal today gave a notice to bring a private member’s bill, making Marathi also the official language.
Vijai Sardesai, the Fatorda independent MLA, however has told Konkani Bhasha Mandal that he does not support the demand of making Marathi the official language.
Sardesai was quoted by Marathi protagonists of having promised them to support if the bill was brought to the Assembly.
With Assembly election hardly one year away, Sardesai and Sawal, along with their third independent colleague from Porvorim, Rohan Khaunte, are planning to float a regional party with common programme.
The Marathi protagonists are presently meeting all the 40 MLAs, requesting them to amend Goa’s official language act to call Marathi also the official language.
Though the Act says Konkani is the official language, it also states that Marathi shall be used for all official purposes.
Presently, except couple of notifications issued, neither Konkani nor Marathi is used for any official purpose in the Goan administration since the bill was passed in 1987, almost three decades ago.
The private member’s bill will have no relevance till the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, made of 21 members in the 40-member House, agrees to the demand.
Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar has already made it clear that his government would not support this move since the demand has a political overtone when election is round the corner.
Parsekar, hailing from Mandrem constituency of Pernem taluka, has large number of supporters of Marathi and had even taken his oath as the CM in Marathi.
One such attempt made by Manohar Parrikar, the 10-member BJP leader, and Pandurang Raut, the two-member MGP, in June 2000.
However, with thousands of youth storming Goan streets under the banner of Goa Hit-Rakhan Manch, the speaker had referred both the bills to the governor and it got lapsed.
No such attempt was made since then while the Marathi protagonists have now started moving in an organised manner to get the amendment passed.
But the ruling BJP, having five legislators belonging to the minority community and four MLAs supporting the government from Salcete taluka, seems to be in no mood to touch the official language act.
Sawal should bring this bill and settle matter once and for all.
Marathi as state language is a legitimate demand. While BBSM has no opposition in taking support of Marathi protagonists in order to oppose grants for English, BBSM has taken recourse to a criminal silence over this matter.
Why won't BBSM support Marathi as State Language when they recognise it to be the mother tongue of Goans (given BBSM's stand to demand grants for institutions imparting education in the mother tongue of a child)?
Why do Konkani mogis detest Marathi although many of them write in Marathi to make a living?
To claim that Marathi is a language of Maharashtra and that the northern neighbour of Goa is enough to protect it and to claim that Marathi has been "imported" into Goa from Maharashtra would be like living in a fool's paradise.
Konkani supporters are opposing Marathi. They should rather ponder on why Konkani is not having a single newspaper in Devanagari today.
Yah..! now start demand for other langueses too.government will keep quiet if they started to support kannada also
Maharashtra is already protecting their Marathi.It is going nower.The question is about Konkani.will it extinct?
It is hoped that a pvt. member's bill by Shri. Naresh Sawal, MLA will make some good. I am skeptical about whether this bill shall be passed, but it is hoped that at least all 40 MLAs will make their stand clear on this demand.
Marathi's question in Goa has been exploited for political gains by many including the ruling BJP and MGP.
Kudos to Mr. Sawal.