GHANTTIS AGAINST LOCALS IN CANDOLIM.

In Candolim there is one small Vaddo touching the Hill which if you cross on foot you can easily reach to Saligao Seminary.  In this Vaddo till a few years back there were hardly 30 houses and as such it was thinly populated.  Major portion of the land in Araddy was deserted.  Since the shooting up of land prices in Candolim as elsewhere in Goa due to the heavy influx of non-Goans, one deserted and isolated area touching the hill in Araddy was sold in pieces by the local landlords to the Migrants who are named as “Ghanttis and Lamanis”.  With the blessing of the local Congress led Panchayat under  the control of the local Congress leader, the new settlers were allowed to construct their houses there even without licenses or official authorization thus making these migrants to remain at the mercy of the local Congress leader.  This Congress leader including local Panchayat body even allotted these migrants Election Cards without even verifying the fact that they have defranchised themselves in their States from  where they came. The number of these migrants is swelled now making them a force to reckon with in physical as well as financial might. Though this place is commonly called by the locals as Ghanttianchi Araddy yet it is named as New Araddy.

A week back during the Holi Festival, there was a physical clash between a few local boys and these Ghanttis for reason still unknown properly though the local boys are blamed by some for this physical clash in which the local boys were not only outnumbered numerically but heavily assaulted by the Ghanttis.  According to one source even the bones of one local boy were broken sending him to the hospital.

Immediately, the matter as informed, reached to the local Congress High Command in Candolim and the local Congress leader along with some Panch Members including the Sarpanch came to the scene to discuss this matter and as some said, to support the Ghanttis.  During the course of discussion and meeting with the Ghanttis, the local Congress leader as per the available information, told the Ghanttis  there  that “Next time if such incident repeats, take the law into your own hands and  break the bones of the locals”.  And as per another version, the local Sarpanch made a statement saying “Since these Ghanttis are my voters, I have to support them”.

Is it right on the part of the local Congress leader to encourage the Ghanttis to take the law into their hands even though the local boys may be wrong?  There is law enforcing authority to decide but it is wrong on the part of local Congress leader to make such a brute statement to tell the Ghanttis to break the bones of the locals. I hope Luizin Faleiro and other Goan Congress leaders and also other leaders of Goa fighting for justice will take note of this cruel statement of local Congress leader and also of the local Sarpanch.

Zilla Parishad election is very close now and people in the locality are deeply hurt by this harsh statement of the local Congress leader who is supporting one candidate in this election.  Overwhelming majority of locals are annoyed at this statement and they want to defeat this candidate in the coming election.  I think this will be a right course of action for the locals.  The local Congress leader is relying too much on the votes  of Ghanttis to destroy Goans. For this reason not only locals from Candolim but also from other villages volunteered to join hands to defeat the candidate backed by the local Congress leader who is also known as Godfather general of Ghanttis in Candolim. This election in Candolim will be fought on the basis of locals and Ghanttis led by the local Congress leader.

According to the latest information, the situation in Araddy is very fluid and these Ghanttis like “Khapris” during Portugues rule are ready to do anything to please their Godfather general.  In view of this, if any untoward incident takes place for any local who is opposing the dadagiri of Ghanttis then the only person  should be held responsible for this will be none other than the Godfather general of the Ghanttis who advised the Ghanttis to break the bones and limbs of the locals.

Social activists and Church leaders must not keep their silence on this topic, they must raise their voices in unison to stop the language of brutes and of Goondas. 

 

A. Veronica Fernandes,

Candolim, Goa.

Tel: 7507394349.

 

 

 

 

  

BJP MANIFESTO FOR ZILLA ELECTION IN CALANGUTE.

Out of the main three contenders for the forthcoming Zilla Parishad election in Calangute constituency, so far only one contender, young and energetic Shawn Michael of BJP has declared his Election Manifesto as indicated here below.

 

The other two main contenders so far have not disclosed in writing their Manifestoes and in the absence of their manifestoes voters are not aware of what they will do the next once they are elected, they have not disclosed in writing why voters should elect them.  One of these two contenders is backed by the Candolim Congress leader who is known to be the godfather general of “Ghanttis – Lamanis & Migrants” whose colony he has established in Candolim as vote bank for him.  Voters from Candolim villalge must keep a distance from such people because they are all out to finish Goa by supporting non-Goans. In this move  voters must reject this candidate who is backed by the anti-Goan Congress leader. Luizin Faleiro and other Congress leaders from Goa must get the message clear and loud.

Coming back to Shawn Martins, he is a young and well educated man from Kobravado, Calangute, a self employed social worker, a great lover of sports and promoter of soccer.  He is very active in different type of activities in his locality gaining name and fame for him. A man with charismatic smile on his face he is very much known figure in his locality.

His manifesto sounds well but what is required now from him is his mind on the communalism spread by the BJP.  How he can influence the top brass of BJP in Goa and in Delhi to put an end to BJP’s anti-minorities moves especially anti-Christian activities.  There is no peace for Christians in Goa since BJP came to power in the last election.  Will Shawn Martins show his courage and wisdom to raise this topic with his bosses in Goa and Delhi to assure Goan Christians peaceful sleep? Goan Christians are having sleepless nights because there is no strong trust now between BJP and Christians.  It looks BJP is all out to diminish Christian influence in Goa by introducing no-beef policy, Ghar Wapsi and other such policies.  

  

A. Veronica Fernandes,

Candolim, Goa.

Tel: 7507394349.

 

"GHAR WAPSI", BJP AND ITS DADAGIRI.

BJP came to power like slaves and now they want to be the masters of Indians who have not given their mandate to BJP to act like masters. Introducing legislations and moves which were not in their election manifesto is an act of Hitlerism and not of democratically elected government. The current move of BJP to bring back the converted people to Hinduism is an act of “Dadagiri”.  People in India have not voted BJP to power to see this type of Dadagiri.

I am a Christian and proud to be so.  My ancestors most probably were Hindus but I feel those who converted my ancestors to Christianity deserve appreciation.  Most of the Hindus converted to Christianity were of lower strata of the Hindu society that treated them very shabbily.  Caste wise their status was low because of this status they were denied many privileges in Hinduism.  They were as Hindus not accepted as full fledged human beings in Hinduism but once in Christian fold they were allotted all the previlleges of egalitarian Christianity though in certain Christian pockets some of them on silly grounds against Christian doctrine were denied full Christian rights.  

Because of the discriminatory Hindu system,  Ambedkar revolted against caste oriented Hinduism and along with lakhs of his followers jumped into egalitarian Buddhism.  Because of caste based discriminatory system in Hinduism a huge number of Nadar Christians  got converted to Christianity from caste oriented Hinduism that treated them like slaves. Because of the equality and brotherhood principle, Christians are more homogenous entity while Hindus are more devided among them.  Because of this equality in Christianity the converted Christians are treated as true human beings mainly in their religious places and in society as well.  The tag of lowliness because of their low caste status is eradicated from their collar once the low caste Hindus are converted. In view of this, I don’t think any converted Christian especially the low caste will ever think to return spontaneously to his originality unless he is tricked with false promises or coerced into submission.

Those who are organizing “Ghar Wapsi” must tell what caste status they will allot to the returnees to originality or re-convertees.  Ghar Wapsi system indicates the fear in fanatic Hindus, they are afraid that their brand of Hinduism is dwindling in India.  Even Mahatma Gandhi indicated this fear in him when he said “If Christianity or Islam uprooted from Inndia, it will still flourish elsewhere but if Hinduism is uprooted from India, it will disappear from this planet”.  But to protect it Gandhiji never prescribed the Ghar Wapsi solution as fanatic BJP men are prescribing. If centuries back my ancestors were converted to Christianity I am not to be blamed for this conversion but I am very comfortable in Christianity.  And if I am allowed to say something more, Christianity is the only solution to end the religious discrimination existing in some religions. 

A.     Veronica Fernandes,
Candolim, Goa.
Tel: 7507394349.