U. G. Barad wrote: JC I disagree with your last two paragraphs i.e. [1] JC: Dr. Barad that the phrase "Opinion Poll WITHOUT extra expenditure to exchequer" is an oxymoron. If anyone cares to remember the amount of Rupees that were invested in the Opinion Poll "to join or not to join Maharashtra" by the JOIN group, and that too about 45 years ago, one would not dream of that today.
BARAD: JC you are talking about an opinion poll which was conducted exclusively to decide whether Goa should be joined to Maharashtra or not therefore that exclusive opinion poll did cost us money. My suggestion is to have the opinion poll on medium of instruction in primary school along with assembly poll. This will incur insignificant expenses. For all that is required to be done at each polling station is to install additional voting machine or issue additional ballot paper with options to vote for 1) English; 2) Konkani; etc jc RESPONSE: Dear Dr. Barad, I appreciate your clarification. What you have suggested should, surely, not cost a lot of money to the exchequer. However, while that vote might test the 'opinion' of the voters, I am not sure that it can be called either a "Referendum" or an "Opinion Poll". But then, you might be right - especially as in India (and in the tracking polls in the US and UK) TV stations call their 'straw', telephone or exit polls as Opinion Polls. == 2) JC : Besides, if an opinion poll were to be held today, there is a fair chance that Kannada or Bihari might become the official language... BARAD: Question of Kanada, Bihari or for that matter DIGU's vote bank Urdu does not arise because Goa will have to conduct opinion poll only to chose / decide on medium of instruction at primary level out of 3 choices: 1) English; 2) Konakani; 3) Marathi. Second sub-option for Konkani selectors could be: a) Devnagri or b) Romi. That's all. jc RESPONSE: Once again, you are quite right here. My "there is a fair chance that Kannada or Bihari might become the official language." comment was merely to stress (like you) the presence of 'Vote Banks" which may/will soon take over Opinion at the polls. A Query: (and this is important), (a) IF this matter appears to affect only the Konkani-medium schools and their parents, should the Marathi or English medium children's parents be voting on this "proposition"? And WHAT will the Govt & the Marathi-medium students' parents do IF the majority vote in favour of English? Concluding Observation: Never mind the kind of suit they wear for a particular season, politicians are politicians. They will do what they have to do to get elected and climb to the 'kodel'. No one is a saint. The Digukaka whose "urdu vote bank" you now noted, is the same Digukaka who used the same vote bank as a BJP. The Monster Rat who the "clean and honesht" one opposed in the Panjim/Panaji civic polls, is the same one the "clean and honesht" one made arrangements with a few years ago. In fact, the "clean and honest" one pulled a coup to climb to the 'kodel' the very first time. Politicians will divide the voting public and 'assist' them to be enemies of each other at the time of the Polls and thereafter make Kon Banega Karodpati deals which would allow them to either gain the 'Public Works ministry' or the the Karods and a big smile on their faces - along with either a big Cross round their neck or a set of Divve (oil lamps) by their side and proclaim that they are either "Coming back home to the BJP" or "I was always a Congressman at heart" or that they are 'sleeping with the enemy' ONLY for the purpose of "providing stability for their beloved Goa". Yep .....It is a stable alright ......replete with all the horse-trading which goes on....never mind the Journos in Denial! Thanks for your post jc