This thread prompts me to argue that the history of the Left in Goan
politics had hardly been adequately noticed, commented upon or researched.
>From the under-the-radar Communist cells in Salazar-ruled Goa (I believe
there were some who were active in the Escola Médico Cirúrgica de Goa, is
that right?) to the post-1961 trade unionists and campaigners. Or, those
among the diaspora and a section of freedom fighters too, and even among
some student activists of the 1970s and 1980s....
Then, there was the influence of the Socialist parties as well, which at
one time were big players in pan-Indian politics, especially in North
India. This region is a terrain which has been largely occupied by the
religious hard Right and Hindutva politics in recent times.
Such groups might not have been dominant players in Goa's politics (unlike
in other ex-Portuguese colonies), but they certainly did make their impact
felt. Read recently some references to the Praja Socialist Party having
helped the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party in their campaign for the first
elections (1963). This was, incidentally, at a time when hardly any
politicians in Goa were aware of how an Indian-style election campaign was
run and contested. The MGP stayed on in power till 1979.
The article above refers to a time when the parliamentary Left was the main
Opposition in quite a few parts of India. While Goa's politics of the 1960s
has been characterised as "India's first democratic revolution", the
Communists in Kerala shocked the world by coming to power through the
ballot-box. That too, at a time when Nehru and the Congress was
unquestionably holding sway over almost the entire country. (The Goa
election results of 1963 were a shocker for the Congress, but that is
another issue.)
Quite a few expat Goans -- including those coming from prominent, landed
and affluent ("landlord") families -- were at one time attracted to
Leftwing politics. A few of them went on to play a significant role in
global politics too, such as Tristão de Bragança Cunha, Pio Gama Pinto,
Sita Valles, Aquino de Bragança, and those mentioned on this list just a
few days ago. It was once said that after the Whites left Africa, the
Browns would take over. This seems to be happening in a small way (having
influence far beyond their numbers) though only for a short while.
The run-up to Goa's anti-colonial struggle could also be interpreted as a
combination/clash between campaigners of the Left and the Right. Since the
Right was not much involved in India's campaign against the British, it was
an opportunity to catch-up on lost time for them too. This strange alliance
also influenced the soft Hindutva politics of the MGP, though over time the
influence of the Left waned here. Not very surprising as Goa's first
generation of post-1961 top political leaders traced their roots to the
capitalist or mercantile class themselves.
In the 1970s, there was a growth of environmental activism -- which, in a
way, might be seen as a continuation of this trajectory. Of course, then
young leaders like Matanhy Saldanha made it clear that they did not see
their politics as Left-oriented, though others like Christopher Fonseca
very much did.... and still does.
The influence of Liberation Theology on Goa is also poorly understood. So
is the influence of trends from within progressive Ecumenical groups, on a
religion which had been long known for its Conservatism in Goa. For
instance, some of the tourism critiques, which came to Goa early, were
shaped by the thinking of global Protestant-led tourism critique groups...
Even though the State chose to misinterpret this as attempts by rival
tourist destinations (Sri Lanka or Thailand) to disrupt Goa's tourism
sector, which was indeed far from the truth.
Like in the rest of India, the parliamentary Left got incorporated within
mainstream or ruling parties. They would find their (mostly honest) leaders
in demand for forming and leading trade unions, but very few citizens would
vote for the same when they contested elections. The Press, which was
mostly connected to mining firms then, was understandably not sympathetic
too.
Still, this doesn't mean their influence was not without impact.
FN
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