By Rajan Narayan

PEOPLE of other states settled in Goa have been observing Bihar Statehood Day and Odisha Statehood Day. Gujaratis and Maharashtrians settled in Goa observe their respective statehood days. Surprisingly, neither the Goa government nor Goan institutions in Goa celebrate Goa Statehood Day with any fanfare. The present post-2000 generation is probably not even aware of the sacrifices made to achieve statehood for Goa.
The battle for statehood goes back to 1967, when the majority of Goans rejected a merger with Maharashtra. In the Opinion Poll held in 1967, Goans refused the choice of merger and chose to remain as an independent Union territory. Logically, after the Opinion Poll verdict to retain its distinct identity, Goa should have been declared a state. The major hurdle was that Konkani had not been recognized as the official language of the state.
States in the country have been formed on linguistic basis. For instance, Maharashtra is the state of the Marathi-speaking people. Karnataka is the home of the Kannada-speaking people and so on. It is the Maharashtra lobby in Goa and Maharashtra that frustrated all attempts to declare Konkani as the official language of Goa. Goa is probably the only state in the country which has a political party — the Maharashtra Gomantak Party, which was set up to merge Goa with Maharashtra.

GOA ACHIEVED STATEHOOD
I AM privileged to have played a small role in Goa achieving statehood. I recall that in July 1985, the then Navelim MLA Luizinho Faleiro moved a resolution in the Goa assembly seeking the recognition of Konkani as the official language of Goa. When the resolution was rejected by the Goa assembly, the then OHeraldo cartoonist Alexy Fernandes showed a coffin with the words “Konkani Melo” (Konkani died).
This triggered the Konkani Porjecho Awaz agitation by both Hindu and Catholic Konkaniwadis. The KPA, though led by Pundalik Naik, saw active participation by Thomosin Cardoso and other Catholic leaders. Notably, Luizinho Falerio, Churchill Alemao and Dr Wilfred D’Souza, lent their full support to the Konkani movement which ensured.
Unfortunately, the then Congress Chief Minister Pratapsingh Raoji Rane was opposed to the demand for Konkani as the official language. Rane, who was part of MGP before he joined the Congress, was a strong supporter of Marathi. But Rane could not resist the huge tide of support in favor of Konkani. More than half the cabinet, including Hindu ministers like Harish Zantye, announced their support for Konkani as the official language. The minority community leaders as well as prominent leaders of the Hindu community, pressurized the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
Rajiv Gandhi accepted the demand for making Konkani the official language. Rajiv directed Pratapsingh Raoji Rane to move the bill in the legislative assembly to make Konkani the exclusive official language of Goa. The official language bill was passed by the Goa Assembly on February 4, 1987 and got the consent of the president on April 14, 1987.

PARLIAMENT RESOLUTION
PARLIAMENT then passed a resolution recognizing Konkani as the official language at the prompting of the then North Goa Member of Parliament Shantaram Naik. Finally, Goa was granted statehood on May 30, 1987. I recall that Rajiv Gandhi had come to Goa to celebrate Goan asmitai.
The late VM Salgaocar played a major role in retaining the identity of Goa during the Opinion Poll. His son Dattaraj played an equally important role and supported the demand for making Konkani the official language. Indeed, after statehood Dattaraj started the first Devanagiri Konkani daily newspaper “Sunaparant” in Goa.
There may be issues regarding the choice of the Devanagari script for the official language. An injustice has been done to the minority community which can still be corrected by granting equal official status to Romi Konkani. But all of us whether we are Marathiwadis or Devanagiri Konkaniwadis or Romi Konkaniwadis should celebrate Goa Statehood Day.
SIMILARLY, migrant settlers in Goa, whatever part of the country they are from, must celebrate Goa Statehood Day as it is Goa which gives them their bread, butter and jam, education for their children and free medical care irrespective of from which other state they have migrated to Goa.