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No Special Status to Goa creates conflict within ruling government

The recent statement by BJP party president Amit Shah and Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar practically ruling out the special status for Goa has created the
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Goa CM Image Source : ZEENEWS
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The recent statement by BJP party president Amit Shah and Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar practically ruling out the special status for Goa has created the political storm within the cabinet ministers of ruling government. According to the sources the special status to Goa was promised by the ruling government before the election in order to preserve the state’s unique identity, but after coming to power the government took U turn.

Following the criticism of the BJP-led government by the opposition in the state and the center for making U turn on the special status promise, one of the cabinet ministers from the ruling government has joined the choir against her own chief minister. Yes we are talking about the Environment minister Mrs. Alina Saldhana who called the Parsekar’s promise of providing the special status for Goa was a “mirage” and that the latter was not well versed with the issue as his predecessor Manohar Parrikar, who is the defence minister now “Honourable chief minister is not as well versed with the issue as then chief minister Manohar Parrikar. He (Parrikar) knew the issue inside out,” Saldanha said. (Source IANS)

The BJP party president Mr. Amit Shah during his two days visit to Goa last week had clarified that his party was not in favour of taking any immediate steps on Goa’s special status issue and the same would be clustered along with similar demands from other states and to support this parsekar on Sunday had virtually ruled out the demand saying that demanding the special status would be equivalent to chasing a “mirage”. According to the sources currently 12 Indian states enjoy special status, which include Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Tripura, Mizoram, Sikkim, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and some 12 districts of Karnataka.

According to the president of NGO Goa Movement for Special Status, Prajal Sakhardande, Goa government had passed a unanimous resolution demanding special status from the union government in 2013 “The chief minister should remember that he was a signatory to resolution. He was the state health minister at the time. Did he think it was a mirage then too?” said Prajal. The environ minister Mrs. Saldhana is also a part of same NGO for last few years and she also actively involved  in the demand for the special status for Goa campaign.

In 2014, Sakhardande had headed a delegation which met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, when the latter was campaigning for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and submitted a memorandum citing reasons for granting Goa special status. “At that time, Modiji praised us for demanding special status to protect our identity and culture and not for a financial package. But now suddenly, their (BJP) attitude has changed,” he said. Saldanha, who has been facing flak from her own supporters for being unable to deliver the promise despite being a minister, now insists that Goa’s demography could change forever if special status, which bars non-Goans from buying land in Goa, is not bestowed on the state.  “When are we going to wake up? Goa’s unique identity is in the process of being wiped out,” she said adding that real estate lobbies in India metros that were keen on selling land and apartments on premium in Goa were stalling the process.

The opposition has already slammed the BJP volte face, with former union minister of state for law Ramakant Khalap claiming that as far as the BJP goes, “this is the end of the road as far as special status is concerned”. Aam Aadmi Party spokesperson Oscar Rebello said that regarding special status, “the BJP leaders only choose to make vague statements about safeguarding cultural identity while ignoring the real issue that is about land”.

Source:  IANS

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