By Rajan Narayan

THE Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief in Goa, Rajendra Bhobe, has started targeting Goan Muslim migrants. Bhobe is trying to create fear by drawing comparisons with the attacks on the Hindu community in Bangladesh. Bhobe forgets to mention that Hindus comprise only 8% of the population of Muslim majority Bangladesh.
Since Muslims in Goa account for only a maximum of 15% of the population, they cannot pose any threat to the Hindu majority population. On the contrary, the Muslim migrants have integrated with the Goan population in the state. Goa is the most outstanding example of communal harmony in that the Hindu majority and the Catholic and Muslim minorities have lived in perfect harmony for centuries.
There have been no real communal riots, particularly between Hindus and Muslims in Goa. This is unlike the bitter communal riots in neighboring Maharashtra and Karnataka. Indeed, the bulk of Muslim settlers in Goa are refugees from states like Maharashtra, Karnataka and Gujarat where Muslims have been targeted and victimized.
Hubli in Karnataka and Biwandi in Maharashtra have witnessed the largest number of communal riots. The number of Muslims moving to Goa rose sharply after the post-Godhra riots in Gujarat and the targeting of Muslims in Uttar Pradesh after Narendra Modi came to power.

MUSLIM VOTE BANKS
THE RSS chief seems to be particularly agitated over the Muslim vote bank. Bhobe attributes the defeat of the BJP candidate Pallavi Dempo in the South Goa parliamentary elections to the Muslim vote bank in South Goa. Bhobe is demanding that Muslim settlers should not be allowed to vote in Goa. He wants Muslims in Goa to cast their vote in their home states of origin.
Bhobe should be aware that former chief minister of Goa, Digambar Kamat, has been winning the Margao assembly seat primarily because of the Muslims of Moti Dongor. Similarly, in Tiswadi, Babush Monserrate has been controlling Taleigao and Panaji with the help of the Muslim migrant settlers who vote for him for small favors. Bhobe should also acknowledge that Manohar Parrikar got elected in Panaji repeatedly primarily due to the support of the Catholics of Miramar and other Catholic-dominated colonies like La Campala and St Mary’s colony.
Indeed, the BJP has been able to retain power in Goa because of the support of the Catholic minority community. Even the present Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant government would collapse but for the one dozen plus Catholic MLAs who support the BJP. The Catholic MLAs are the biggest single group supporting the BJP in the assembly.

FEAR OF MUSLIMS
THE RSS chief has expressed the fear that the percentage of Muslim voters will go up from 7.5% in 2022 to 12% in the 2027 election. We are inclined to believe that the Muslim voters will exceed 15% in the 2027 elections. Bhobe is concerned that Muslims are become the swing factor in Goan politics. Though Muslims may account for only 15% of the voters they are concentrated in some constituencies like Valpoi, Vasco, Margao, Panaji, Santa Cruz, Ponda, etc. Bhobe has revealed that in the 2022 elections, the BJP could win only by 70-500 voters in as many as seven constituencies. The BJP moreover loss the south Goa parliamentary seat by a margin of 13,000 votes.
This is not only because the Muslim voter in Goa may have voted against the BJP. In fact, it is primarily because both Catholic and Muslim votes account for almost 40% of voters who revolted against the BJP. Not because of the policies of the Goa government but because of the anti-minority policies of the Narendra Modi government at the centre.
When Goa was liberated the first government to be formed was by the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP). The first wave of migrant settlers into Goa came from Maharashtra. Goa did not even have trained primary school teachers let alone civil, mechanical and electrical engineers. This is because the Portuguese did not encourage even education in Marathi and Konkani, let alone create degree and engineering colleges.
Since there was no development during the Portuguese colonial years regime, there was no need for engineers, doctors and other professionals. Literally, thousands of Marathi school teachers were imported for the thousand-plus Marathi plus medium primary school started by Dayanand Bandodkar post-Liberation.
The engineers required for the new Public Works Department and the Electricity department came from Karnataka and Kerala. Till very recently all the top posts in the PWD and the Electricity department, not to mention the Water supply department, were occupied by Kannadiga people and Keralites. Due to a lack of suitable Goan candidates all three chief engineers of the PWD have been given extensions.
It has been revealed that even junior stenographers have been given extensions in the PWD. The population of Maharashtrians, Kannadigas and Malayalam-speaking Keralites in Goa is much larger than the Muslim settlers.
The increase in Muslim settlers population has taken place in the last two decades since the beginning of the new millennium. The Muslims who have been coming to Goa belong to the weakest section of the community. They have been primarily attracted to Goa by the availability of jobs. Unlike Goans the Muslim migrants are willing to do blue-collar jobs like that of electricians, plumbers, AC mechanics and other trades.
The majority of Muslims are third generation residents of Goa. The Muslim in Goa have accepted the Uniform Civil Code. Indeed, Muslims settled in Goa insist on a Goa registered marriage before any nikah. No maulvi in Goa will marry a Muslim couple unless they have completed the civil registration in Goa.

TOTAL HARMONY
MUSLIMS in Goa have lived in total harmony with the Catholic community and majority Hindu population. The only source of some tension is petty fights breaking out over land for Muslim burial grounds and mosques in Catholic-dominated areas. Even these issues are settled amicably. The leaders of the Muslim community in Goa constantly reach out to their Hindu and Catholic brothers for peaceful resolution to problems if any. They have been encouraging Muslim migrant families to take advantage of the excellent educational infra-structure in Goa. The enrollment of Muslims not only in schools and colleges is much higher in Goa then in their home state of Karnataka, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh. The economic standard of Muslims in Goa is much higher than their counter parts in the states of their origin.
Historically unlike in the other RSS dominated states, there has been no love jihad in Goa. There has been no ban on the storage, transportation and consumption of beef. Not only Catholics but even a large number of Hindus in Goa eat beef as it is the cheapest meat available. There is no ban on slaughter of cattle in Goa. Goa has witnessed a significant increase in the number of mosques and madrasas since Liberation.
But this does not come into conflict with the beliefs of Hindus and Catholics. Muslims have been playing an increasingly important role in the economy of Goa. At the same time they do not compete with Goans for government jobs. They only fill up the gaps created by Goans going abroad.

HINDUS TO FOR GOA
RSS chief Bhobe should also realize that the number of Hindus migrating to settle in Goa is much larger than that of migrating Muslims. The BJP can retain power and return to power in the 2027 assembly election only if they carry along the Catholic and Muslim voters. Manohar Parrikar realized this when he gave BJP tickets to Catholic candidates all over Goa.
All political parties should also gave representation to the Muslim community, since Liberation Goa has had only one Muslim MLA and he is Sheikh Hassan Haroon from Vasco da Gama, who served as minister and was the speaker of the Legislative Assembly. Just by being 15% of the population of Goa, Muslims have rightfully earned the right to be represented in the Legislative Assembly and government of Goa.