The Mopa tamasha seems to be a tactical ploy to distract Goans from a mammoth fraud that has been unearthed in the on-going Panchayat elections. While swearing by zero tolerance to corruption, the government has rigged an election and are now taking cover of the law to claim helplessness. The new Chief minister was sounded as early as 9th march 2012 by the CSJP about the need to ensure a free and fair election. This news was reported in the media on 18th March 2012. The Government did not bother and manipulations of the wards was on while the public was being distracted by what was expected to be 'The Budget' The ward delimitation was notified on 31st march 2012 during the Holy week when the Christian community was busy. The CSJP delegation met the Director of Panchayat. After 8th April complaints began pouring in and widely reported in the newspapers. On 9th April 2012 I personally intimated the CM about the earlier representation from CSJp and the need to intervene. There has been no response till date. On 11th April a delegation from CSJP met the Director of Panchayats and the news was widely reported the next day. The Director admitted that there were irregularities. But yet the Government remained silent. The Government went ahead and notified elections on 18th April 2012 to take cover of the law and prevent any action to remedy the situation. Preferential treatment was given to Calangute Village Panchayat on 20th April 2012 by issuing a corrigendum under the pretext of rectifying errors after the local MLA pressurised the Director of panchayat after office-hours at night even though the elections had already been notified. The helplessness proclaimed by the CM is a lie. It is not true that the Government had no time to rectify the errors. It is also not true that the Government had no alternative but to conduct elections before 19th may 2012, as it has set a precedent in January 2007 of postponing elections by 6 months and appointing administrators. These General elections to Village Panchayats 2012 are rigged and a desperate Government has been seeking to divert attention from this daylight systemic corruption by raking the issue of Mopa which was never in the manifesto.
