[Goanet-News] CONTROVERSY: Comment in Goan Observer

[Frederick [FN] Noronha * फ्रेडरिक नोरोन्या]

Rajan Narayan's Stray Thoughts (Goan Observer), May 31 to June 6, 2008

AND a few stray observations on the other hijacking of the week,
namely the hijacking of the GBA by the saffron brigade. As we have
repeatedly pointed out, the saffron brigade -- at the instigation of
Manohar Parrikar -- has been conspiring to split the GBA. At recent
meetings even before the Task Force submitted its interim report, the
saffron brigade has been insisting that the GBA should walk out of the
Task Force.

After the Task Force report was released, suddenly the saffron brigade
which had not show much interest in the GBA, started attending the
meetings in large numbers to demand that GBA should reject the interim
report of the Task Force. Taking advantage of the absence from Goa of
the convenor, Dr Oscar Rebelo, the saffron brigade not only forced a
resolution rejecting the interim report of the Task Force, but quickly
shot off a letter to the chairman of the Task Force to that effect.

The letter was signed by Sabina Martins even though it was earlier
made very clear that any statements on behalf of GBA would only be
made by th econvenor, Dr Oscar Rebello or the Secretary, Patricia
Pinto. The saffron brigade bullied the other members who suggested
that they should wait for Dr Oscar Rebelo to return.

The Sangh Parivar has never been happy with the GBA since secular
elements like Dr Oscar Rebelo and Shridhar Kamat have frustrated their
designs to implement the Sangh Parivar agenda through the GBA. The
hijacking of the GBA by the Sangh Parivar was aided and abetted by
Ritu Prasad, who apparently has her own agenda. The ostensible reason
for rejecting the interim report was that it has not followed the
proper procedure.

The Sangh Parivar was, for its own reasons, insisting that the GBA
should compel the Task Force to put in place a consultative process
whereby the village panchayats would be consulted. The secular
elements, knowing how corrupt and politicized the panchayat bodies
are, were in favour of seeking inputs of the gram sabhas rather than
the panchayat after the basic land-use pattern was drawn up.

SAFEGUARDS: The saffron brigade and its fellow travellers also were
not willing to accept Appendix X of the interim report of the Task
Force, which completely neutralizes the absolute discretionary power
conferred on the government by the amendment to the TCP Act, which
excluded central and state government projects from the purview of the
Regional Plan 2021.

I personally believe that Digambar Kamat, the Chief Minister who is
also the Chairman of the Task Force, inadvertently abetted the Sangh
Parivar brigade within the GBA by refusing to give firm assurances
that Appendix X of the interim report of the Task Force would be
implemented through a further amendment to the TCP.

The Sangh Parivar brigade who hurriedly bullied the others into
passing a resolution rejecting the Task Force report in the absence of
the convenor also claims that some critical paragraphs in the draft
shown to the GBA relating to consultations with grassroots level
bodies was dropped in the final report. But surely if this is true, it
is the fault of Ritu Prasad, who was the only technical qualified
person representing the GBA at Task Force meetings.

An angry and anguished Dr Oscar Rebello, the convenor of the GBA, has
rightly rejected the stand taken by co-convenor, Sabina Martins, and
others at the meeting of the GBA held in his absence on Monday, May
26. Dr Oscar Rebelo has reiterated that he stands by the Task Force
report. Which virtually amounts to rejection of the letter sent by the
co-convenor, Sabina Martins, claiming that the GBA had rejected the
Task Force report.

Considering that it is Oscar Rebelo and not Sabina Martins who is the
convenor and the fact that the co-convenor for South Goa, Shridhar
Kamat, is also not a party to the decision to reject the interim
report of the Task Force, it is clear that Sabina's letter has no
validity. The saddest part of it all is that the pre-emptive action of
the Sangh Parivar brigade taken without consulting the convenor has
eroded if not destroyed the credibility of the GBA.

It is clear that the convenor, Dr Oscar Rebelo, and the co-convenor of
the South, Shridhar Kamat, are on a collision course with the saffron
brigade within the GBA and others who let themselves be bullied by the
saffron brigade....

ENDS