Panaji, Feb 9 (PTI) Goa’s youngest political party, which started out as a social organisation fighting to preserve the rights of persons of Goan origin – is looking to make a mark in the crowded electoral scene in the tiny state where it has fielded candidates in 38 of the 40 assembly seats.
The party, Revolutionary Goans, is ranged not only against big established political entities like the Congress and the BJP, but also a host of other outfits like the AAP, the Trinamool Congress, the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party and the Goa Forward Party in the February 14 polls.
Despite being a new entrant in electoral politics – the Revolutionary Goans – led by former AAP worker Manoj Parab, has fielded candidates in 38 assembly constituencies, including the seats from where chief minister Pramod Sawant (Sankhalim) and health minister Vishwajit Rane (Valpoi), both of the BJP, are contesting.
The Revolutionary Goans was registered as a political party with the Election Commission of India (ECI) only last month and its election symbol is ‘football’.
Parab is the only candidate among the current crop of contenders who is contesting from two Assembly constituencies – Valpoi and Thivim (represented by BJP MLA Nilkant Halarnkar).
“The support for our candidates is immense. People have realized that voting for established political parties will not fetch them anything substantial. That is why the Revolutionary Goans has come up as an alternative,” he said.
The Revolutionary Goans (RG) started out as a non-political organization of youngsters in the coastal state which has a huge migrant population from neighbouring Karnataka and Maharashtra.
Its stated goal was to “empower every person of Goan origin and fight for his/her rights” and unite such people “irrespective of caste and religion to fight for the existence of Goans in their own motherland to protect its identity, culture and heritage”.
The group initially took up campaigns against illegal vendors in various markets of the state replacing them with Goans.
“We taught the Goan youth that selling fish sitting on the roadside is not a shameful profession. It is something to feel proud about,” said Parab, who helped set up temporary roadside fish stalls for youngsters, including Goan girls.
The Revolutionary Goans slowly began spreading its wings across the state and started criticizing the BJP government for its “failure” to protect the interest of local communities.
In 2019, Parab and his group of friends came up with the draft of ‘Persons of Goan Origin (POGO) Bill’ which, among other things, sought priority in government jobs for only those Goans whose parents were born before December 19, 1961, when the state was freed from the Portuguese rule.
“We presented the POGO Bill to every MLA urging them to get it cleared in the Assembly, but none of them dared to do so. It was obvious they were trying to protect their vote bank at the cost of interest of original Goans,” Parab said.
He said it was that time the RG decided to contest elections and as a first step campaigned for deletion of names of voters “illegally” added in electoral rolls.
Parab has projected himself as the party’s chief ministerial face. PTI RPS RSY RSY
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