Goa Opinion Poll
Encyclopedia
The Goa Opinion Poll was a referendum
held in the state of Goa
, India
, on 16 January 1967, to decide the future of the Union Territory
of Goa, Daman and Diu within the Indian Union. Although popularly called an opinion poll
, it was in fact, a referendum
, as the results of the poll were binding on the government of India. The referendum offered the people of Goa a choice between continuing as a union territory
or merging with the state of Maharashtra
. It is the only referendum to have been held in independent India. The people of Goa
voted against the merger and Goa continued to be a union territory. Subsequently, in 1987, Goa became a full-fledged state within the Indian Union.
. At the time of Goa’s accession into India, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru
had promised that Goa would retain its distinct identity. Even prior to the annexation of Goa, the government of independent India had promised that the people of Goa would be consulted on any decision about their territory.
In the meantime, the provinces of India had been reorganized on linguistic basis. This happened due to the intense political movements for language-based states as well as a need to effectively administer a diverse country. Among the prominent movements for linguistic states was the Samyukta Maharashtra movement. In 1960, The state of Bombay
was partitioned into two new states: the state of Maharashtra
, which encompassed the Marathi
speaking areas; and Gujarat where Gujarati
was predominant.
was the main language spoken in Goa. Apart from this, many Konkani people were bilingual; they spoke both Marathi and Konkani. Among the Hindus in Goa, Marathi occupied a higher status and their culture was similar to the culture of the neighbouring state. Konkani was spoken at home and in the bazzars, but religious literature, ceremonies etc. were in Marathi. Some people in Goa considered Konkani to be a dialect of Marathi and hence by reason, considered all Goans
to be of Marathi ethnicity. As a result there were demands from various sections in Goa as well as from Maharashtra to merge Goa into Maharashtra.
The enclaves of Daman and Diu were Gujarati
-speaking areas and bordered the new state of Gujarat.
The two main parties, UGP
and MGP
, were formed with two opposing ideologies. The Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party
(Pro-Maharashtra Goan Party) wanted to merge the state of Goa into the newly formed state of Maharashtra. The United Goans Party
wanted to retain independent statehood for the former Portuguese enclaves
. The MGP had the support of the lower castes among Goa's Hindus, whereas the UGP was dominated by Catholics with some support from upper-caste Hindus.
Of the 30 seats in the Goa, Daman and Diu assembly, 28 belonged to Goa
, and one each to Daman and Diu. MGP formed the government, having secured 16 seats while UGP secured 12. The assembly of Goa, Daman and Diu convened on 9 January 1964.
The MGP and politicians in Maharashtra were elated at the victory and touted it as a mandate that the majority of Goans were in favour of merger. Dayanand Bandodkar
, the leader of MGP and the first Chief Minister of Goa, proclaimed that by voting the MGP into power, the people of Goa had, in effect, voted in favour of merger with Maharashtra. According to them, passing a bill in the state legislature was all that was needed. Passing a bill in the assembly would be easy for the MGP as they had a simple majority.
In a representative democracy
like India, the elected representatives take the decisions. It is in very rare conditions that the onus of decision making is put directly on the public.
The United Goans Party, headed by Dr. Jack de Sequeira
, also knew that if the issue was put to vote in the state assembly, merger was a foregone conclusion. Merging Goa
into another state was a monumental decision. Also the very future of the state and the identity of the Goan people was at stake. So they pressed for a people's referendum instead of a vote among the representatives; as was the norm in a Parliamentary democracy like India.
Dr. Jack visited New Delhi along with his MLAs and impressed Nehru about the need of an opinion poll on this matter. However he died before Parliament could take this decision could be taken and Lal Bahadur Shastri
succeeded him as Prime Minister. A delegation consisting of MGP MLAs and Maharashtra’s leaders went to New Delhi to convince him that a vote on the merger should be conducted in the Goa Assembly.
Dr. Jack, along with others, went to Bangalore
where an AICC session was being held and met Shastri. They opposed the move to get the merger voted in the Assembly and impressed on Shastri and Kamraj
, the need to put this question before the people of Goa themselves instead of a vote in the Assembly. However Shastri died in 1966 in Tashkent
and this decision was now left to the new Prime Minister Indira Gandhi
.
Again Dr. Jack and his legislators met Indira Gandhi
and submitted a memorandum that such a monumental decision affecting the future of the State could not be left to legislators alone, but should be put before the people to decide. Purushottam Kakodkar
, the president of the Goa unit of the Congress Party, used his personal equations with the Nehru family to lobby hard for a referendum with the central leadership. According to one source, he reportedly "almost lost his sanity" trying to do so.
The referendum
could be conducted via a signature campaign or by secret ballot
. UGP also demanded that expatriate Goans staying in other parts of India or the world, should be allowed to vote by postal ballot. However this request was denied.
The President of India gave his assent to the Goa, Daman and Diu (Opinion Poll) Act on 16 December 1966 after it was passed in both houses of the parliament. 16 January 1967 was chosen as the date for the referendum.
Now that the referendum would be conducted , the anti-merger faction feared that Bandodkar may use the state’s administrative and law-enforcement machinery to browbeat the anti-mergerists into submission. The UGP demanded that the MGP government resign so that the referendum could be conducted in a free-and-fair atmosphere. The central government conceded and on 3 December 1966, the MGP government resigned .
The MGP had the backing of the depressed classes and landless tenants of Goa. They were convinced that the only way to overthrow the dominance of the upper caste Hindu Brahmins, bhatkaars(land-owners) and the Catholics who had benefited from Portuguese rule; was to merge into Maharashtra. After merger these previously dominant groups would count for nothing within the vast Maharashtrian populace and their influence would vanish.
The MGP had promised that Goa would be granted several concessions after merger with Maharashtra. The chief minister of Maharashtra, Vasantrao Naik
, backed up these promises. Some of these promises were:
The Christians of Goa
accounted for 250,000 Roman Catholics during the 1960s a major portion of the Goan population and had considerable influence were fearful that the merger would reduce their political influence to nothing in the merged entity. Many Goan Hindus, on the other hand, have relatives in Maharashtra, and most speak a dialect of the Marathi language. But the determining question was whether Goa should cease to exist.
However there After Independence, India had seen communal riots and the emergence of more powerful Hindu-nationalist groups such as the RSS
.
Unlike the Hindus, for whom Marathi was a medium of religious instruction, the Christians did not use Marathi. They mostly spoke in Konkani and did not have any feelings for Marathi. The pro-merger argument that Konkani was a dialect of Marathi did not please them.
The pro-merger group received support from leaders of Maharashtra, cutting across political lines.
Dr.seqqtoured extensively over Goa conducting public meetings explaining the anti-merger stand. He also went to many places outside Goa, such as the city of Bombay which had a sizeable Goan community to highlight the issue. However, later it turned out that this was in vain as only resident Goans were allowed to vote. He was aided in his tasks by his son Erasmo
.
The tiatrists of Goa (stage-play performers and writers) campaigned earnestly with Konkani songs written by young writers like Ulhas Buyao, Dr Manoharrai Sardesai, Shankar Bhandari and Adv Uday Bhembre
. The pro-merger groups began disrupting Buyao's programmes in their stronghold areas. Buyao's songs Goenchea Mhojea Goenkaramno and Channeache Rati
inspired many Goans.
Goa's main Marathi newspaper Gomantak pursued a pro-merger view. To counter this Rashtramat a new Marathi daily, was started to influence the Marathi readers (who were mostly pro-merger) against the merger. Its chief editor was Chandrakant Keni . Uday Bhembre wrote a fiery column Brahmastra, took a stance opposing his pro-merger father. The Rashtramat proved critical in bringing many of the pro-Marathi faction to vote against the merger.
The two options were represented by two symbols: A flower for merger, and two leaves for retaining independent identity. Voters had to pace a "X" mark against the symbol of choice.
The opinion poll was held on 16 January 1967. Polling was largely peaceful with reports of a few incidents. Supporters from both sides tried their best to ensure that people voted.
rejected the merger with Maharashtra by a vote of 172,191 to 138,170. The anti-mergerists won by 34,021 votes. In the territorial capital of Panjim, the results were cheered by a crowd of 10,000, who danced in the streets carrying branches symbolic of victory, set off firecrackers, and created such a joyous disturbance that the government had to call in police with tear gas to restore order. Goa is not yet gone.
An analysis of the voting patterns shows that the voting patterns closely followed the patterns of the 1963 assembly election. However, a significant section of MGP's supporters had voted against the merger without which the pro-merger faction would have won.
split from the party. The party later faded away.
and continue to be administered as the Union territory of Daman and Diu.
In 1987, the Goa legislative assembly passed a bill making Konkani the official language of Goa. Although the bill did not explicitly grant Marathi any official status in Goa, it contains safeguards for the use of Marathi in official communication and education.
In 1992, Konkani was included in the Eight Schedule of the constitution of India.
16 January is observed as Asmitai Dis (Identity Day) in Goa.
Referendum
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...
held in the state of Goa
Goa
Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, on 16 January 1967, to decide the future of the Union Territory
Union Territory
A Union Territory is a sub-national administrative division of India, in the federal framework of governance. Unlike the states of India, which have their own elected governments, union territories are ruled directly by the federal government; the President of India appoints an Administrator or...
of Goa, Daman and Diu within the Indian Union. Although popularly called an opinion poll
Opinion poll
An opinion poll, sometimes simply referred to as a poll is a survey of public opinion from a particular sample. Opinion polls are usually designed to represent the opinions of a population by conducting a series of questions and then extrapolating generalities in ratio or within confidence...
, it was in fact, a referendum
Referendum
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...
, as the results of the poll were binding on the government of India. The referendum offered the people of Goa a choice between continuing as a union territory
Union Territory
A Union Territory is a sub-national administrative division of India, in the federal framework of governance. Unlike the states of India, which have their own elected governments, union territories are ruled directly by the federal government; the President of India appoints an Administrator or...
or merging with the state of Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
. It is the only referendum to have been held in independent India. The people of Goa
Goans
Goan is the demonym used to describe the people of the Indian state of Goa who form an ethno-linguistic group which is a result of assimilation of Indo-Portuguese, Indo-Aryan, Dravidian, Proto-Australoid, Indo-Scythian, Indo-Greeks and Indo-Iranians ethnic and/or linguistic ancestries.They speak...
voted against the merger and Goa continued to be a union territory. Subsequently, in 1987, Goa became a full-fledged state within the Indian Union.
Background
India gained its independence from the British in 1947. Goa was the largest part of the Portuguese possession in India, the other territories being small enclaves. In 1961, India incorporated these territories after a military invasionInvasion of Goa
The 1961 Indian annexation of Goa , was an action by India's armed forces that ended Portuguese rule in its Indian enclaves in 1961...
. At the time of Goa’s accession into India, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru , often referred to with the epithet of Panditji, was an Indian statesman who became the first Prime Minister of independent India and became noted for his “neutralist” policies in foreign affairs. He was also one of the principal leaders of India’s independence movement in the...
had promised that Goa would retain its distinct identity. Even prior to the annexation of Goa, the government of independent India had promised that the people of Goa would be consulted on any decision about their territory.
In the meantime, the provinces of India had been reorganized on linguistic basis. This happened due to the intense political movements for language-based states as well as a need to effectively administer a diverse country. Among the prominent movements for linguistic states was the Samyukta Maharashtra movement. In 1960, The state of Bombay
Bombay State
The Bombay State was a state of India, dissolved with the formation of Maharashtra and Gujarat states on May 1, 1960.-History:During British rule, portions of the western coast of India under direct British rule were part of the Bombay Presidency...
was partitioned into two new states: the state of Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
, which encompassed the Marathi
Marathi language
Marathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western and central India. It is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. There are over 68 million fluent speakers worldwide. Marathi has the fourth largest number of native speakers in India and is the fifteenth most...
speaking areas; and Gujarat where Gujarati
Gujarati language
Gujarati is an Indo-Aryan language, and part of the greater Indo-European language family. It is derived from a language called Old Gujarati which is the ancestor language of the modern Gujarati and Rajasthani languages...
was predominant.
The language question
One of the main reasons leading to the referendum was the diglossic situation among the people of Goa. KonkaniKonkani language
KonkaniKonkani is a name given to a group of several cognate dialects spoken along the narrow strip of land called Konkan, on the west coast of India. This is, however, somewhat an over-generalisation. Geographically, Konkan is defined roughly as the area between the river Damanganga to the north...
was the main language spoken in Goa. Apart from this, many Konkani people were bilingual; they spoke both Marathi and Konkani. Among the Hindus in Goa, Marathi occupied a higher status and their culture was similar to the culture of the neighbouring state. Konkani was spoken at home and in the bazzars, but religious literature, ceremonies etc. were in Marathi. Some people in Goa considered Konkani to be a dialect of Marathi and hence by reason, considered all Goans
Goans
Goan is the demonym used to describe the people of the Indian state of Goa who form an ethno-linguistic group which is a result of assimilation of Indo-Portuguese, Indo-Aryan, Dravidian, Proto-Australoid, Indo-Scythian, Indo-Greeks and Indo-Iranians ethnic and/or linguistic ancestries.They speak...
to be of Marathi ethnicity. As a result there were demands from various sections in Goa as well as from Maharashtra to merge Goa into Maharashtra.
The enclaves of Daman and Diu were Gujarati
Gujarati language
Gujarati is an Indo-Aryan language, and part of the greater Indo-European language family. It is derived from a language called Old Gujarati which is the ancestor language of the modern Gujarati and Rajasthani languages...
-speaking areas and bordered the new state of Gujarat.
Political situation
Since Goa was an acquired territory, it was not given immediate statehood but was incorporated as a Union Territory, expectedly for a decade. Unlike other Union Territories, which were directly administered by the central government in New Delhi, Goa was allowed to have its own state legislature. Goa's first polls were held on December 9, 1963.The two main parties, UGP
United Goans Party
The United Goans Party was a political party founded in Goa after its annexation into India. Its main aim at the time of formation was to protect the distinct identity of Goa and the Goan people...
and MGP
Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party
Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party was Goa's first ruling party after the end of Portuguese colonial rule in 1961. In the first elections held after India took over the former Portuguese colony, it ascended to power in December 1963 and stayed on, till being ousted from power by defections in early...
, were formed with two opposing ideologies. The Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party
Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party
Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party was Goa's first ruling party after the end of Portuguese colonial rule in 1961. In the first elections held after India took over the former Portuguese colony, it ascended to power in December 1963 and stayed on, till being ousted from power by defections in early...
(Pro-Maharashtra Goan Party) wanted to merge the state of Goa into the newly formed state of Maharashtra. The United Goans Party
United Goans Party
The United Goans Party was a political party founded in Goa after its annexation into India. Its main aim at the time of formation was to protect the distinct identity of Goa and the Goan people...
wanted to retain independent statehood for the former Portuguese enclaves
Portuguese India
The Portuguese Viceroyalty of India , later the Portuguese State of India , was the aggregate of Portugal's colonial holdings in India.The government started in 1505, six years after the discovery of a sea route to India by Vasco da Gama, with the nomination of the first Viceroy Francisco de...
. The MGP had the support of the lower castes among Goa's Hindus, whereas the UGP was dominated by Catholics with some support from upper-caste Hindus.
Of the 30 seats in the Goa, Daman and Diu assembly, 28 belonged to Goa
Goa
Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...
, and one each to Daman and Diu. MGP formed the government, having secured 16 seats while UGP secured 12. The assembly of Goa, Daman and Diu convened on 9 January 1964.
Demand for a referendum
Prime minister Jawahar Lal Nehru had promised in 1963 that Goa would remain a Union Territory for ten years after which the future of Goa would be decided in accordance with the wishes of the people of Goa. The MGP was not prepared to wait for that long.The MGP and politicians in Maharashtra were elated at the victory and touted it as a mandate that the majority of Goans were in favour of merger. Dayanand Bandodkar
Dayanand Bandodkar
Dayanand Bandodkar was the first Chief Minister of Goa after the territory was returned to India by Portugal. A wealthy mine owner, he sought to merge the territory with the state of Maharashtra...
, the leader of MGP and the first Chief Minister of Goa, proclaimed that by voting the MGP into power, the people of Goa had, in effect, voted in favour of merger with Maharashtra. According to them, passing a bill in the state legislature was all that was needed. Passing a bill in the assembly would be easy for the MGP as they had a simple majority.
In a representative democracy
Representative democracy
Representative democracy is a form of government founded on the principle of elected individuals representing the people, as opposed to autocracy and direct democracy...
like India, the elected representatives take the decisions. It is in very rare conditions that the onus of decision making is put directly on the public.
The United Goans Party, headed by Dr. Jack de Sequeira
Dr. Jack de Sequeira
Joao Hugo Eduardo de Sequeira , popularly known as Dr. Jack de Sequeira; also known as Jak Siker according to local naming conventions, was a prominent Goan politician and is popularly known in Goa as the Father of the Opinion Poll.Dr. Jack de Sequeira was the founder president of the United Goans...
, also knew that if the issue was put to vote in the state assembly, merger was a foregone conclusion. Merging Goa
Goa
Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...
into another state was a monumental decision. Also the very future of the state and the identity of the Goan people was at stake. So they pressed for a people's referendum instead of a vote among the representatives; as was the norm in a Parliamentary democracy like India.
Dr. Jack visited New Delhi along with his MLAs and impressed Nehru about the need of an opinion poll on this matter. However he died before Parliament could take this decision could be taken and Lal Bahadur Shastri
Lal Bahadur Shastri
Lal Bahadur Srivastava Shastri was the second Prime Minister of the Republic of India and a significant figure in the Indian independence movement.-Early life:...
succeeded him as Prime Minister. A delegation consisting of MGP MLAs and Maharashtra’s leaders went to New Delhi to convince him that a vote on the merger should be conducted in the Goa Assembly.
Dr. Jack, along with others, went to Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
where an AICC session was being held and met Shastri. They opposed the move to get the merger voted in the Assembly and impressed on Shastri and Kamraj
K. Kamaraj
Kumarasami Kamaraj better known as K. Kamaraj was an Indian politician from Tamil Nadu widely acknowledged as the "Kingmaker" in Indian politics during the 1960s. He was the chief minister of Tamil Nadu during 1954-1963 and a Member of Parliament during 1952-1954 and 1969-1975...
, the need to put this question before the people of Goa themselves instead of a vote in the Assembly. However Shastri died in 1966 in Tashkent
Tashkent
Tashkent is the capital of Uzbekistan and of the Tashkent Province. The officially registered population of the city in 2008 was about 2.2 million. Unofficial sources estimate the actual population may be as much as 4.45 million.-Early Islamic History:...
and this decision was now left to the new Prime Minister Indira Gandhi
Indira Gandhi
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhara was an Indian politician who served as the third Prime Minister of India for three consecutive terms and a fourth term . She was assassinated by Sikh extremists...
.
Again Dr. Jack and his legislators met Indira Gandhi
Indira Gandhi
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhara was an Indian politician who served as the third Prime Minister of India for three consecutive terms and a fourth term . She was assassinated by Sikh extremists...
and submitted a memorandum that such a monumental decision affecting the future of the State could not be left to legislators alone, but should be put before the people to decide. Purushottam Kakodkar
Purushottam Kakodkar
Purushottam Kesava Kakodkar was a prominent politician and social worker from Goa. He served as a Member of Parliament in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.-Freedom Fighter:...
, the president of the Goa unit of the Congress Party, used his personal equations with the Nehru family to lobby hard for a referendum with the central leadership. According to one source, he reportedly "almost lost his sanity" trying to do so.
The referendum
Referendum
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...
could be conducted via a signature campaign or by secret ballot
Secret ballot
The secret ballot is a voting method in which a voter's choices in an election or a referendum are anonymous. The key aim is to ensure the voter records a sincere choice by forestalling attempts to influence the voter by intimidation or bribery. The system is one means of achieving the goal of...
. UGP also demanded that expatriate Goans staying in other parts of India or the world, should be allowed to vote by postal ballot. However this request was denied.
The President of India gave his assent to the Goa, Daman and Diu (Opinion Poll) Act on 16 December 1966 after it was passed in both houses of the parliament. 16 January 1967 was chosen as the date for the referendum.
Now that the referendum would be conducted , the anti-merger faction feared that Bandodkar may use the state’s administrative and law-enforcement machinery to browbeat the anti-mergerists into submission. The UGP demanded that the MGP government resign so that the referendum could be conducted in a free-and-fair atmosphere. The central government conceded and on 3 December 1966, the MGP government resigned .
Arguments in favour of merger
- Goa was too small to administer itself and its effective administration would only be possible as a part of a larger state.
- similarities between culture and traditions of Hindus in both the states.
- the strong historical and cultural ties with Maharashtra
- the belief that Konkani is a dialect of Marathi and that Marathi is the mother tongue of all Goans.
The MGP had the backing of the depressed classes and landless tenants of Goa. They were convinced that the only way to overthrow the dominance of the upper caste Hindu Brahmins, bhatkaars(land-owners) and the Catholics who had benefited from Portuguese rule; was to merge into Maharashtra. After merger these previously dominant groups would count for nothing within the vast Maharashtrian populace and their influence would vanish.
The MGP had promised that Goa would be granted several concessions after merger with Maharashtra. The chief minister of Maharashtra, Vasantrao Naik
Vasantrao Naik
Vasantrao Naik was an Indian politician who served as Chief Minister of Maharashtra from 1963 until 1975. He was born in Gavli, Pusad in 1913. His experience in grassroots politics made him a responsible legislator...
, backed up these promises. Some of these promises were:
- Preferential treatment to Goans in government jobs
- Industrial and agricultural development
- Prohibition would not be applicable to Goa
- government notices in Konkani
- setting up a separate university for Goa
- development of Konkani
Arguments against the merger
- Konkani is an independent language and not a dialect of Marathi. It was underdeveloped due to the suppression of the language.
- Konkani would be replaced by Marathi
- Goa had an identity of its own. Goan culture was a mix of East and the west having been under Portuguese occupation for nearly 450 years.
- if Goa was merged Goan culture would be subsumed in Marathi culture and disappear.
- Goa would be reduced from a state to a "backwater district of Maharashtra".
- Prohibition would be imposed in Goa, which had a significant rate of alcohol consumption and brewing industry. It would also affect the toddyPalm winePalm wine also called Palm Toddy also called "Kallu" written in Malayalam and கள்ளு in Tamil or simply Toddy is an alcoholic beverage created from the sap of various species of palm tree such as the palmyra, and coconut palms...
tappers(Render caste) - Merger would result in a loss of jobs for Goans. The Shiv SenaShiv SenaShiv Sena , is a political party in India founded on 19 June 1966 by Balasaheb Thackeray. It is currently headed by Thackeray's son, Uddhav Thackeray...
, a Marathi regionalist party had emerged in Maharashtra in 1966 which favoured a sons-of-the-soil policy; demanding preferential treatment for ethnic MarathisMarathi peopleThe Marathi people or Maharashtrians are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group, that inhabit the Maharashtra region and state of western India. Their language Marathi is part of the southern group of Indo-Aryan languages...
in jobs. It also spearheaded violent attacks against South Indians in the city of Bombay. If their moves succeeded, Goans would be sidelined for jobs in their own state.
The Christians of Goa
Goan Catholics
The Goan Catholics are an ethno-religious community of Roman Catholics and their descendants from the state of Goa, located on the west coast of India. They are Konkani people and speak the Konkani language...
accounted for 250,000 Roman Catholics during the 1960s a major portion of the Goan population and had considerable influence were fearful that the merger would reduce their political influence to nothing in the merged entity. Many Goan Hindus, on the other hand, have relatives in Maharashtra, and most speak a dialect of the Marathi language. But the determining question was whether Goa should cease to exist.
However there After Independence, India had seen communal riots and the emergence of more powerful Hindu-nationalist groups such as the RSS
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh or National Patriotic Organization), also known the Sangh, is a right-wing Hindu nationalist, paramilitary, volunteer, and allegedly militant organization for Hindu males in India...
.
Unlike the Hindus, for whom Marathi was a medium of religious instruction, the Christians did not use Marathi. They mostly spoke in Konkani and did not have any feelings for Marathi. The pro-merger argument that Konkani was a dialect of Marathi did not please them.
Buildup to the referendum
Campaigning for the referendum began one month before the vote and was vigorous.The pro-merger group received support from leaders of Maharashtra, cutting across political lines.
Dr.seqqtoured extensively over Goa conducting public meetings explaining the anti-merger stand. He also went to many places outside Goa, such as the city of Bombay which had a sizeable Goan community to highlight the issue. However, later it turned out that this was in vain as only resident Goans were allowed to vote. He was aided in his tasks by his son Erasmo
Erasmo de Sequeira
Erasmo Jesus de Sequeira was a politician, social worker and parliamentarian from Goa, India. He represented the Marmagoa parliamentary constituency twice from 1967-1977. He has been described as a "man of letters"; and was known for his fluency in many languages.-Family:Erasmo de Sequeria was the...
.
The tiatrists of Goa (stage-play performers and writers) campaigned earnestly with Konkani songs written by young writers like Ulhas Buyao, Dr Manoharrai Sardesai, Shankar Bhandari and Adv Uday Bhembre
Uday Bhembre
Uday Bhembhre is an Indian lawyer and a former member of the Goa Legislative Assembly. He is also noted for his role as the editor of the Konkani daily, Sunaparant and as an Konkani language activist.-References:...
. The pro-merger groups began disrupting Buyao's programmes in their stronghold areas. Buyao's songs Goenchea Mhojea Goenkaramno and Channeache Rati
Channeache Rati
Channeache Rati is a Goan Konkani song.-Creation:The song was composed by at the time of the Goa Opinion Poll in 1967 in support of the anti-merger movement, of which Buyao was an important part. The lyrics were writtrn by advocate and editor of the Konkani newspaper Sunaprant Uday Bhembre, who...
inspired many Goans.
Goa's main Marathi newspaper Gomantak pursued a pro-merger view. To counter this Rashtramat a new Marathi daily, was started to influence the Marathi readers (who were mostly pro-merger) against the merger. Its chief editor was Chandrakant Keni . Uday Bhembre wrote a fiery column Brahmastra, took a stance opposing his pro-merger father. The Rashtramat proved critical in bringing many of the pro-Marathi faction to vote against the merger.
Referendum
The referendum offered the people of Goa, Daman and Diu two options- To remain a Union Territory of India. Or
- To merge Goa with Maharastra; and Daman and Diu with Gujarat.
The two options were represented by two symbols: A flower for merger, and two leaves for retaining independent identity. Voters had to pace a "X" mark against the symbol of choice.
The opinion poll was held on 16 January 1967. Polling was largely peaceful with reports of a few incidents. Supporters from both sides tried their best to ensure that people voted.
Results
There were 388,432 eligible voters. A total of 317,633 votes were polled. Three days were allotted for the counting. 54.20% voted against merger whereas 43.50% voted in favour. Thus, despite the Hindus' numerical superiority, GoansGoans
Goan is the demonym used to describe the people of the Indian state of Goa who form an ethno-linguistic group which is a result of assimilation of Indo-Portuguese, Indo-Aryan, Dravidian, Proto-Australoid, Indo-Scythian, Indo-Greeks and Indo-Iranians ethnic and/or linguistic ancestries.They speak...
rejected the merger with Maharashtra by a vote of 172,191 to 138,170. The anti-mergerists won by 34,021 votes. In the territorial capital of Panjim, the results were cheered by a crowd of 10,000, who danced in the streets carrying branches symbolic of victory, set off firecrackers, and created such a joyous disturbance that the government had to call in police with tear gas to restore order. Goa is not yet gone.
An analysis of the voting patterns shows that the voting patterns closely followed the patterns of the 1963 assembly election. However, a significant section of MGP's supporters had voted against the merger without which the pro-merger faction would have won.
Criticism
The opinion poll received a great deal of criticism from the anti-mergerists. Their grievance was that the Opinion Poll only offered them status-quo as a self administering union territory instead of full statehood that they desired. According to them the referendum should not have been on the issue of merger with Goa, but whether Goa should have an independent legislature or not. This issue led to a split in the UGP.Subsequent events
Despite the MGP's pro-merger move being defeated, it won the subsequent elections again in 1967 and 1972. For the UGP, although the opinion poll victory was a vindication of their efforts, it did not translate into electoral gains. Dr Jack de Sequeira was criticized for agreeing to clause in the referendum that did not confer full statehood to Goa. A group led by Alvaro de Loyola FurtadoAlvaro de Loyola Furtado
Alvaro de Loyola Furtado , was a member of the Goa assembly and a parliamentarian. He was a founding member of the United Goans Party and also the leader of the United Goans . He was also a social worker, a historian, journalist, physician and humanitarian...
split from the party. The party later faded away.
Statehood
Goa did not achieve full statehood in 1971 as was expected. Following persistent demands; including a 1976 resolution by the Goa assembly demanding full statehood; Goa finally became a state on May 30, 1987. Daman and Diu were separated from GoaGoa
Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...
and continue to be administered as the Union territory of Daman and Diu.
The status of Konkani
The status of Konkani was closely related to the issue of statehood for Goa. Although the issue of statehood was resolved in 1967, the Konkani Marathi dispute continued to simmer. In 1975 the Sahitya Akademi recognised Konkani as an independent language.In 1987, the Goa legislative assembly passed a bill making Konkani the official language of Goa. Although the bill did not explicitly grant Marathi any official status in Goa, it contains safeguards for the use of Marathi in official communication and education.
In 1992, Konkani was included in the Eight Schedule of the constitution of India.
Honours
Although Jack de Sequeira faced some flak for compromising on the issue of full statehood; nonetheless, for his stalwart leadership of the UGP and tireless efforts that led to the referendum; he is known as the Father of the Opinion Poll in Goa. For his leadership of the entertainers Ulhas Buyao earned the title Goem Shair (Goa's Poet).16 January is observed as Asmitai Dis (Identity Day) in Goa.
See also
- GoaGoaGoa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...
- Daman and Diu
- History of GoaHistory of GoaGoa is a small state on the western coast of India. Though the smallest Indian state, Goa has played an influential role in Indian history. Goa was one of the major trade centers in India, thus it had always been attracting the influential dynasties, seafarers, merchants, traders, monks and...
- Portuguese IndiaPortuguese IndiaThe Portuguese Viceroyalty of India , later the Portuguese State of India , was the aggregate of Portugal's colonial holdings in India.The government started in 1505, six years after the discovery of a sea route to India by Vasco da Gama, with the nomination of the first Viceroy Francisco de...
- Reorganisation of States
- United Goans PartyUnited Goans PartyThe United Goans Party was a political party founded in Goa after its annexation into India. Its main aim at the time of formation was to protect the distinct identity of Goa and the Goan people...
- Maharashtrawadi Gomantak PartyMaharashtrawadi Gomantak PartyMaharashtrawadi Gomantak Party was Goa's first ruling party after the end of Portuguese colonial rule in 1961. In the first elections held after India took over the former Portuguese colony, it ascended to power in December 1963 and stayed on, till being ousted from power by defections in early...