The Hindu : Karnataka News : Tomorrow's Goa bandh is on, says Bhasha Suraksha Manch

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Karnataka

Karnataka

Tomorrow's Goa bandh is on, says Bhasha Suraksha Manch

Special Correspondent

Shashikala Kakodkar claims to have received overwhelming support

Operators to keep buses off the road
Essential services exempted from the bandh

Bhartiya Bhasha Suraksha Manch delegates on Saturday mobilising support among shopkeepers in Panaji for Monday's agitation.

PANAJI: The Bharatiya Bhasha Suraksha Manch (BBSM), a body spearheading agitation against State Government's recent change of medium of instruction (MoI), policy to give grants to primary schools with English as the medium of instruction, on Saturday reiterated that the proposed “Goa bandh” on Monday, the first day of the academic year, will be observed.

The former Goa Chief Minister Shashikala Kakodkar, who is leading the BBSM, told presspersons here that they got overwhelming support from different sections.

Apart from the Opposition parties, the BBSM's stand on opposition to English-medium primary schools had the backing of the Nationalist Congress Party, Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, two of the coalition partners, and some of the ruling Congress Ministers and MLAs. Ms. Kakodkar said that apart from Opposition parties, over 200 big and small cultural, social and educational institutions across the State were supporting the proposed bandh of Monday.

She said that essential services such as health services, pharmacies, and milk would be exempted from the bandh. Private bus operators had agreed to keep the buses off the road, she said and added that the bandh would be peaceful.

The Communist Party of India (CPI), Goa, on Saturday demanded that the Goa government urgently convene a special session of Legislative Assembly to debate and take a decision on the issue of Medium of Instruction (MoI) at the primary level. Till that was done, the CPI called for a status quo to be maintained as assured by the Education Minister in the last State Assembly session in March. The government policy was to give grants to only to such primary schools which had medium of instruction in Indian languages.

Christopher Fonseca, general secretary of CPI, Goa unit, on Saturday expressed serious concern over the controversy. “The inept and hasty response of the State government to the issue has plunged Goa into a State which is in conflict with itself — thus accentuating the social and communal divide,” said a trade union leader. Cautioned

Following reports in the media that the All Goa Bus Owners' Association has extended support to the bandh on Monday, the Goa Government warned all owners of the vehicles covered by Stage carriage permits and temporary permits operating on different routes that in case any vehicle was not operated, action will be initiated by the Directorate of Transport against the owners. Similar action will be taken against commercial vehicle owners.

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