------------------------------------------------------------------------
* G * O * A * N * E * T **** C * L * A * S * S * I * F * I * E * D * S *
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Flat for Sale: Mapuca, Goa (Ansabhat) - 10 min walk to Mapuca Market
2 Bedroom-Living-Dining-Kitchen-Bath-Balcony-Terrazo Floors
Great Investment - Winter Getaway
Asking Canadian $ 31,500/- or Indian Rs 10 lakhs
Contact Rosario Fernandes - [EMAIL PROTECTED]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Fr. Conceção Silva
Mandur, Tiswadi, Goa
20 February, 2007
Fr. Conceção Silva
Convenor
Romi Lipiechi Chollvoll
Romi Lipiechi Chollvoll (RLC) in its Press Conference on 19 February 2007
had given the final call to the Goa Government to amend the Goa, Daman & Diu
Official Language Act, 1987, and to include the Roman script for Konknni on
par with Devanagari script through an amendment in the forthcoming Session
of the Legislative Assembly. The stand of the RLC is to have only one
official language for Goa, namely Konknni in Roman and Devanagari scripts.
RLC has learnt from reliable sources that the Congress Legislative Party
(CLP) met on 20 February at the Secretariat and has decided to bring a Bill
in the forthcoming Legislative Assembly to give official language status to
Konknni in Roman script and also to Marathi. While the RLC welcomes the CLP's
belated realization that the Roman script for Konkani needs to be given the
official status, it strongly condemns this conspiracy of the CLP to fool
Goans by linking it to the elevation of Marathi. CLP appears to have taken
this decision to silence the opposition with a view to gain power in the
forthcoming election. CLP cares for political power more than Goa and Goans.
Konknni and only Konknni should be the only Official Language of Goa with
Devanagari and Roman scripts as its official scripts. Marathi is already
the Official Language of Maharashtra. Marathi is not the common spoken
language of Goans. Hence there is no need to give it any official status in
the Language Act. In 1987 the Congress Govt. and the Devanagari proponents,
led by then MLA Adv. Uday Bhembre, through their well planned treachery gave
lion's share to Marathi in the Language Act of Goa. Now there is absolutely
no need to elevate Marathi and give it the Official Language status. CLP
fooled the majority of Konknni speakers in 1987. It cannot do it any more.
RLC will not allow the CLP to destroy the cultural identity of Goa, namely
Konknni.
Konknni language unites all Goans and it is the soul of a true Goan. RLC
once again sternly warns the CLP to change its decision to give equal
official status to Marathi, the language of Maharashtra. If the CLP fails
to do so, then RLC with the support of Konknni organizations, NGOs and other
prominent citizens of Goa will immediately start a village to village
campaign against Congress Party and expose its strategy to destroy Goa's
land, language and culture. The RLC calls upon the partners in the Congress
led coalition Govt. to take an appropriate decision to have Konknni as the
sole official language of Goa.
All Goans who love and care for Goa and our mother tongue, Konknni, have to
keep aside their differences and arise to condemn and stop the ploy of CLP.
The RLC demands that the Congress Party immediately wind up its Vichar
Vibhag or "Think Tank" headed by Adv. Uday Bhembre, and comprised of his
cronies like Dilip Borcar, N. Shivdas and others who have misguided it once
again to propose the elevation of Marathi with their prejudiced views. It
will serve their purpose because of the shared script and continue to keep
the Roman script users at a disadvantage. Let us take a pledge to work
together to safeguard and maintain the identity and unity of Goa and Goans
through the exclusive use of Konknni as the sole official language of Goa.
