Seminal contribution
SEMINAL CONTRIBUTION
- Back home, he tabled the first ever Resolution before the Goa Pradesh Congress Committee to make Konkani, the official language of Goa.
- Thereafter, Luizinho moved the historic Resolution to make ‘Konkani as the official language of Goa’. It became the first such resolution to be unanimously passed by the Goa Assembly.
- Overjoyed at seeing his major political goal coming true, Luizinho followed it up with another historic Resolution to ask the Centre to grant Statehood to Goa, to fulfill the twin aspiration of Goans. But the battle had just begun.
- He faced serious challenges, as his own Congress party’s local leadership dragged its feet due to dissension on the issue of official language. Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi too repeated what Indira had said earlier, ‘First decide your official language, and Statehood will follow.
- But, Luizinho’s Goa Daman and Diu Official Language Bill, which was tabled on 19th July 1985 was defeated by the Pratapsing Rane government. Undeterred by this, Luizinho then played a stellar leadership role in the arduous fight to instate Konkani as the
- Official Language, including a sustained battle on the streets of Goa, with the support of teeming Goans who rallied in large numbers for the cause. It was one of the biggest agitations Goa had ever seen. It is only after this, that Rajiv Gandhi intervened.
- An emissary was sent to Goa and the House passed the historic Goa Daman and Diu Official Language bill on 4th February 1987, at a one day session, making Konkani in devnagari script as the official language and Marathi and Gujarati could be used for official purposes. Rajiv Gandhi thus fulfilled the promise made by his mother Indira Gandhi to the people of Goa.
- Thereafter, Luizinho’s showcased the hardships faced by the people under the Union Territory status, before the Sarkaria commission, in his fight for Statehood for Goa. Eventually, the Congress government in New Delhi under then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi passed The Constitution (Fifty-Sixth Amendment) Act, 1987, on 6th May, 1987 at a midnight session of Parliament. Goa was finally conferred Statehood on 30th May 1987, making it the 25th State of the Indian Union.
Luizinho and his Goa Congress colleagues were then personally invited by Rajiv Gandhi to return to the Congress, since their fundamental goals of ‘Official Language Status for Konkani’ and ‘Statehood for Goa’ were accomplished.
TODAY, after almost 38 years of public life and his international and national engagements, if one asks Luizinho Faleiro to reflect on whether he was able to accomplish his vision and what were his most potent achievements, he says that the most important aspirations of his overall Vision for Goa have been fulfilled. They are:
*The twin fight for recognition of Konkani as the official language of Goa and Statehood for Goa, which were both historic and most worthy achievements to save the identity, culture and ethos of Goa.
*The twin fight for recognition of Konkani as the official language of Goa and Statehood for Goa, which were both historic and most worthy achievements to save the identity, culture and ethos of Goa.
A glimpse of the charged meeting of Goans demanding Official Language status for Konkani, at Azad Maidan Panaji, 1986.
- Reservations of “Jobs for Goans,” by linking employment to working knowledge of Konkani Language and 15 year domicile, first in government and then in the private sector, even when it was very difficult, given the constraints in the Indian Constitution.
- His Vision and his legislation to Preserve, protect and enhance trees, forests, natural heritage and environment of Goa, as a gift to posterity.
- Luizinho’s fight for improving the living conditions of the indigenous people of Goa — the Backward Classes, comprising Gawdas, Kunbis, Velips and Dhangar by giving them reservations in jobs and education, and through formation of the OBC Corporation in1980s.
- Labour Welfare through Welfare Schemes, Minimum wages, Manpower development Cell, HRD Foundation, formation of Labour Welfare Board, regulation of migrant labour and other initiatives for improving the working conditions of labour.
- Drawing up a Vision Document for Education and over 50 odd interventions and schemes to improve the quality of education and make Goa a Knowledge driven society, Empowerment of Girl Students, implementation of NCERT syllabus so that students could compete at the national level and introduction of English as a compulsory subject from Class I to X are other achievements that Luizinho feels justifiably proud of.
- The establishment of the first Ministry of Information Technology, the first ever Department of Information Technology and the First ever Information Technology Policy in India. He also introduced the Biotechnology policy. Both these policies had the potential to change the matrix of development and employment in Goa.
- The Employment Policy with ‘Employment for All’ as its thrust, and The Housing Policy with ‘Housing for all’ which made a palpable difference to the lives of the people of Goa. These important policies are engaged with, in detail, in other sections of this website.
