SHORT IN MANNERS? Did Rahul Gandhi forget he had to pay his respects at the Azad Maidan freedom fighters memorial at a scheduled itinerary, 12.30 noon? Instead he preferred to take a motorbike pilot taxi to turn up at Azad Maidan at 2.30pm, junior Gandhi must grow up some more!

By Rajan Narayan

In terms of focusing on issues concerning Goa both the TMC and the AAP want to convert Goa into another Kolkata or New Delhi. What matters to us is the threat of pollution from the coal hub, re-habilitating those who have lost their jobs due to mining closure, and protecting small traders of our medium and small scale industries.

NO doubt sherezade Rahul Gandhi forgot people waiting for him patiently for two-and-a-half hours at Azad Maidan on Saturday noon, October 30. Admittedly he thought an early lunch break at Sharada restaurant in Bambolim was more important than keeping to his schedule. Perhaps he has a tendency to think he is on holiday and could choose to oblige a motorcycle pilot for a freewheeling ride to Azad Maidan in a terribly belated arrival!
Despite all this in his address to Congress workers at the Shyama Prasad Mukerjee Stadium, Rahul revealed a deep understanding of Goa’s problems. Full credit to team of Girish Chodankar and Digambar Kamat who likely briefed him exhaustively.
This is in sharp contrast to the professional I-PAC team of Prashant Kishor, which does not even know how much fishing contributes to the Goan economy and how many people are dependent on fishing for a livelihood. Imagine Mahua Moitra, their most eloquent and well-read Member of Parliament, being misled into claiming that 85% of Goans depend on fishing for a living.
The truth we all know is that though Goans own trawlers which are run and managed by migrant workers from Orissa, Kerala and Karnataka. Less than 10% of Goa’s population depends on fishing and much trawler fishing catch is exported, not for Goan fish-lovers.

FOCUS OF GOA PROBLEMS
IN sharp contrast to Mamata-didi’s press conferences including the breakfast meeting with the media on Saturday, October 30, Rahul Gandhi speech at the Shyama Prasad Mukerjee Stadium was very focused on Goa’s problems. Unlike the Bengali didi, Rahul Gandhi pointed out how at the Centre all policies declared by Modi benefited only the Ambanis, Adanis and half-a-dozen others of their kind. Rahul referred to demonetisation, GST which killed small traders and the agonies of small timers in kirana shops, because of mall promotion by big timers like Reliance Retail and Caculo’s in Goa. He observed how small and medium business were destroyed Modi government policies.

STOP ADANI COAL HUB
COMING to Goa, Rahul expressed shock over Gautam Adani seeking to convert Mormugao Port Trust (MPT) into a coal hub port. Rahul rightly pointed out that the double-tracking of the South Western Railway was only for the benefit of the Adanis and Jindals who have factories and power generation stations in neighbouring Karnataka.
Rahul is he first politician who talked of tackling the issue of setting up a power plant in the middle of the Mollem wildlife sanctuary. Unlike Mamata, Sonia Gandhi’s family are familiar with Goa for over ten years Sonia and family including Priyanka’s family have loved to spend their Christmas and New Year at the Leela Goa, annually. And unlike the I-PAC, a reportedly crack team of over 500 highly qualified and skilled staffers doing research, Goa’s Girish-Digambar team have succeeded on impressing upon Rahul what the real issues affecting Goan quality of life.

RAHUL GOES FISHING
WHEN Rahul went to meet the fisher folk at Velsao he did not make the mistake of claiming that 85% of Goa is dependent on fishing for a living. Congress candidate from Benaulim, Royla Fernandes, was on the stage with Rahul Gandhi met the fisher folk. Ramponkar Ekvott, the apex body of all fishing groups in Goa met Rahul Gandhi. All that TMC’s Mamata-didi did was say hello to a few fisher women at Betim jetty. Not that fisher women are not important. They are the ones who market the fish catch of the day, carrying it to the market and even doing door-to-door sales. The buying and selling of fish and other seafood in Goa is an exclusive male phenomena. It is the family’s menfolk who do the fish buying and not the womenfolk – this way the men also get to flirt with the fisher women for better rates.
Rahul spoke bitterly about the godi media in New Delhi. Rahul said the BJP had bought over the media. Rahul pointed out that even independent media like NDTV and India Today were forced to carry only reports in praise of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Indeed, seasoned journalist and television anchor man Rajdeep Sardesai, who broke the former governor of Goa Satya Pal Malik’s corruption in Goa story, was suspended for ten days for being critical of Narendra Modi.
The worst example of godi media is Republic TV of Arnab Goswami. The Republic has not said a word about the murder of four farmers by Ashish Mishra, son of the Union minister at Centre Ajay Mishra, in Lakhimpur Kheri. The Republic did not carry anything on Meghalaya Governor Satya Pal Malik alleging massive corruption in Covid-19 supplies scam. Which has been confirmed by Goan online channel Goenkarpon.
Fortunately, when Rahul was talking about the godi media in Goa, he got a written message from Girish Chodankar telling him that sections of Goan media like “Goan Observer” are independent media and not godi media. So Rahul Gandhi had the grace to thank and acknowledge the bravery of Goan media, in contrast to media in the national capital.
In contrast to Mamata answering even uncomfortable questions with a smile, a member of dozen odd Bengali media people who had come with her independently or with her entourage, told a `Goan Observer’ correspondent that “the Goan media is very good, it asks so many questions which we in West Bengal dare not ask her!”

GOA LAUNCHED MODI!
NARENDRA Modi was more or less launched as prime minister of India at the BJP’s Executive Committee Meeting held in Goa on August 6, 2012. At which all the old timers like LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi were side lined. It was Manohar Parrikar, Goa’s late chief minister and later the country’s defence minister, who had insisted that Narendra Modi was the right choice to be the national spokesperson of the BJP.
Never mind that in an earlier executive committee meeting of the BJP held when the late Manohar Parrikar was chief minister in 2002, the than Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee wanted Narendra Modi sacked. Vajpayee held Modi responsible for the bloody violence against Muslims after the Godhra train arson and burning. At the meeting held at the Goa Marriot, Vajpayee pointed out that Modi had not followed “raj dharma.” Which requires equal treatment for all communities.
Modi was saved from resigning by LK Advani, the man he threw away like a used condom, when he came to power. I personally witnessed both executive committee meetings of the BJP as a special invitee of the late Manohar Parrikar. I was present at the dinner for Vajpayee at Raj Bhavan, where Vajpayee was forced to change his mind about sacking Narendra Modi as chief minister of Gujarat.

GOA LUCKY CHARM
CLEARLY all politicians think that Goa is their lucky charm. That anyone who starts their journey to become the prime minister should start from Goa, like Narendra Modi. Which is why Mamata-didi who is seeking to become the next prime minister is taking so much interest in Goa. Never mind that the late Manohar Parrikar, who promoted Narendra Modi as the prime minister, could not win even 13 seats for the BJP in Goa, even though he had succeeded in making Narendra Modi the prime minister.
Not just Mamata-didi but Arvind Kejriwal too dreams of being prime minister of India. Which is why he has come three times to Goa in the last three months. He was here again on Monday, November 1. But nobody, not even the convenor of AAP Rahul Mhambre, could tell me where the press conference was to take place.The AAP has been taking a back seat ever since Prashant Kishor’s I-PAC started its Kharedi Yatra in Goa.

LUCKY ALI SAYS NO!
Lucky Ali, the Singer refused the invitation to join the Trinamool Congress (TMC). The TMC found out that Remo Fernandes had taken Portuguese citizenship and therefore could not join the TMC or take part in the election. The TMC has not been able to get VIjai Sardesai and the Goa Forward to join them. The TMC has not been able to get Reginaldo Laurenco to join TMC. All they have got is small fish like Tara Kerker, former Football players, aging doctors like Dr Jorson Fernandes of South Goa who was acting chairman of United Goans Democratic Party (UGDP). Though they have the support of the present UGDP boss Radharao Gracias. All the petty fish that the TMC has managed to collect will not even give them 2% of the total votes polled in Goa that they got when they contested elections last time.

MAMATA FOR PM
We are all for Mamata-didi becoming the Prime Minister. If Indira Gandhi can become the Prime Minister we don’t see why Mamata-didi cannot become the Prime Minister. The PMs post is not a monopoly of the Sonia Gandhi dynasty. The Gandhi’s are not even related to Mahatma Gandhi they get the surname from Feroz Gandhy who was the Parsee who was married to Indira Gandhi. They have kept the surname because they can claim to be heirs Mahatma Gandhi.
But we strongly object to I-PAC acting as though they own Goa. We believe that the means must justify the end. We strongly object to the kharidi yatra going on. This is the end of Prashant Kishor. When TMC loses the election in Goa, Mamata will drop Prashant Kishor. That will be the end of I-PAC and their highly paid gang of mercenaries.

CONGRESS SHOULD UNITE
We ARE hoping for a Congress win because they have an understanding of Goa’s problems. Digambar Kamat has been the best chief minister Goa. I am glad that Rahul Gandhi refused to listen to Raul Fernandes, owner of “oHeraldo” to sack Girish Chodankar as GPCC president and Digambar Kamat as Congress Legislative Party president. But the Congress is headless. Rahul Gandhi is still waffling about taking responsibility in being president of the Congress party.
Perhaps only Priyanka Gandhi, who has the courage and the charisma of the late Indira Gandhi, will show the party the way. It is incredible that the Congress still does not have an official chairperson. Sonia Gandhi continues to call the shots. Fortunately, the Congress in Goa is united with the departure of Luizinho Faleiro.
We hope there will be an alliance between the Congress, Goa Forward and the Nationalist Congress Party, and even the Trinamool Congress. After all Luizinho Faleiro, when he defected to the TMC, claimed that he wanted to bring all the Congress parties together. AAP and TMC are like mosquitos which will be swapped out. The BJP has no moral right to come back to power because it survives only at the mercy of Babush Monserrate and his ten defectors. Inshallah!

POSTSCRIPT: We will support Individual candidates on merit belonging to any party, exception POGO Revolutionary Goans and the BJP.