Rupesh Gurudas Samant
Panaji (Goa)
While State is all set to celebrate January 16 as Opinion Poll Day to mark the historic occasion, which kept this formerly Portuguese-ruled territory separate from neighbouring Maharashtra, the living witnesses of this day get nostalgic.
The Opinion Poll resolved that Goa, which was then union territory will remain as a separate identity and would not merge with Maharashtra. Then Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP)-led State government had resolved the state should be merged which was opposed by larger section led by United Goans party leader Jack Sequeira.
“When the first day of counting of the votes was over on January 17, the pro-merger lobby was celebrating. They had received massive lead in all the areas of North Goa. We were virtually on oxygen,” recalls Uday Bhembre, Journalist who was amongst the prominent leaders who opposed the merger.
Entire Goa was divided between two symbols – two leaves (anti-merger) and rose (pro-merger). Bhembre gets nostalgic remembering how sitting in Margao, 40 kms away from the counting centre in Panaji, the leaders were keeping track of results on All India Radio’s broadcast.
“We had almost lost the hopes when second day of counting started. But then tables turned and as the areas of South Goa specially Catholic dominated ones were taken for counting, the anti-merger camp got upper hand. Benaulim constituency in South Goa contributed for complete turn of tide against the move of merger,” Bhembre said.
The Catholic population were completely against the merger and Hindus were divided. Many felt it was wise to get attached to Maharashtra.
Bhembre recalls that five different groups including those of two political parties – United Goans and section of Congress, and three others including Konkani protagonists revolving around now defunct newspaper ‘Rashtramat’, late Ulhas Buyao led musical group and late Shabu Desai’s ‘Sanghpradesh Jyot’.
Former St Cruz constitueny MLA Victor Gonsalves was a child when Opinion Poll movement was happening. He still remembers his mother being detained along with others in their village by the police as a part of agitation favouring anti-merger sentiments.
Gonsalves represented the constituency, which Jack Sequeira did in Goa Legislative Assembly and when the veteran leader died in the year 1989, he moved condolence motion on the floor of the House.
“The movement in St Cruz constituency which is Catholic dominated was totally locally bred. There was no influence of leaders from outside. There was no scope for pro-merger sentiments in our village,” he said.
While elders were busy in intellectual discourse over the Opinion Poll, the children of Gonsalves’ age were contributing in their own way to save Goa from being part of Maharashtra by making ‘two leaves’ a part of their collection of toys.
Music played an important role to convince people to vote against the merger. A group ‘Jai Gomantak Kala Pathak’ led by late Ulhas Buyao used to perform across Goa penning the songs telling people why we should not go with Maharashtra.
“There were times when they used to not get even a mike or sound system but that time too the group performed, sometimes standing atop a mini bus,” said Siddhanath , son of late Buyao.
Maharashtra-based musical troupes were filling the air with pro-merger songs which were countered by Buyao and group who sung in Konkani and Marathi languages. The songs of Buyao are still performed in Goa, even half a century after the historic day.
