Konkani Basha Mandal denounces 'communal' overtones

Dec. 24, 2008

MARGAO- The president of Konkani Basha Mandal, Mr Prashant Naik, on Tuesday said that �some communal and castiest overtones expressed by some speakers� at the First Konkani Roman Script Convention organised by Dalgado Konkani Academi at Ravindra Bhavan were aimed at dividing the Konkani movement.
Mr Naik said that the Konkani movement has always cherished the secular and progressive ideals, adding the KBM has always believed and respected the sentiments of people using various scripts like Romi, Kannada, Malayalam and Perso-Arabic in Konkani literature other than in natural script of Konkani that is Devanagari.
Mr Naik said that the KBM has always believed in the unity of the Konkani-speaking people and hence it looks at the first convention of the Konkani Roman Script from the perspective of brotherhood and unity, adding that the utterances of the PWD Minister, Mr Churchill Alemao, singling out the veteran and respectable Konkani leader, Mr Uday Bhembre, are deplorable.
Mr Naik also said that the�organisers of Romi Konkani Convention did a disservice to the unity of Konkani people by providing platform to such political elements who were in the news for the Member of Parliament Local Area Development scheme �scandal� a few years back, adding that the contribution of Mr Bhembre to Konkani does not require a certificate from �such people�.
He also reminded that Mr Bhembre was an independent MLA during the language agitation, adding that the act was passed by the then Congress government and that the legislative assembly records will show that Mr Bhembre had staged a walk-out along with the then Congress MLA, Mr Luizinho Faleiro, opposing the status accorded to Marathi in the Official Language Act, adding that it must be noted that even in the Constitution of India, while according the official language status to Hindi, the mention of Devanagari�script has been made.
Mr Naik said that the KBM�appeals to all right-thinking Konkani people to �see through the games of people� like Mr Churchill Alemao and Fr Pratap Naik who he said �are out to divide the Konkani movement to pursue their own agenda.