BY AUGUSTO RODRIGUES
The opposition MLAs and a few Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) tried to raise a stink that Union Home Minister Amit Shah did not speak on the water diversion of River Mhadei during the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) jamboree for the 2024 parliamentary election in Ponda recently.
The union home minister’s visit and meeting in Ponda, South Goa, was to specifically appeal to the voters to let the lotus bloom in the south. It has been done before – through Ramakant Angle and Narendra Sawaikar later, but not in the manner the party expected.
Goa was painted with many strokes during the meeting, but never with water. The colours kept changing, and this alarmed many, the opposition in particular.
River Mhadei or the issue plaguing the river is Goa-centric, despite the fact that everyone needs water. To protest the diversion of the water to neighbouring Karnataka, a huge rally was held in Sankhali a few months ago, close to where the river flows.
Like at the meeting in Sankahli, thousands attended, and most were from South Goa and Salcete in particular. People from Sankhali, it was alleged, did not attend because they were threatened.
Let us assume there is no truth in the matter of threats. It then implies that what was offered in lieu of not attending the meet to save Mhadei was more important for people whose dependency on the water flowing in the river is greater than most.
Like at the meeting in Sankahli, thousands attended, and most were from South Goa and Salcete in particular. People from Sankhali, it was alleged, did not attend because they were threatened.
Mhadei is important, and the struggle to save the river has been going on for years now, being led by a small group that has not really managed to wake up the conscience of Goa. And it appears as though politicians are trying to gulp when they should be sipping.
Rajendra Kerkar has been at the forefront to save Mhadei, and he has said that the flow of the river can best be stopped from being diverted by the courts of the country. Like many, Rajendra knows very well that no politician can be counted on.
Those who are in power now cried about the diversion of water when they were in the opposition, and those in the opposition now will cry against the diversion of water until they are in power. Goalposts are shifted conveniently in politics.
Parts of Karnataka may need water from the Mhadei, and plans were afoot to release some of it in an agreed manner. But, as in life, it is difficult to stop the greed for more. Just as the rich want to get richer, it is the same with water.
The rally in Ponda was a political cry for help for votes, and the BJP – whose study of politics cannot be understated – was doing just that with the electorate. Probably, water does not translate into votes as other things do – money being one of the main drivers.
There has been a hue and a cry about the Mhadei when subconsciously it is understood that the river is being used as a political tool to woo voters from Karnataka, a state that is due for polls in less than a month. What is temporarily good for some, may not be for others.
The river is being used as a political tool to woo voters from Karnataka, a state that is due for polls in less than a month.
A song sounds best when it is sung at the right time, and the BJP’s singing has caught the ears of most. Karnataka is the stage, and its people are the audience that is being wooed – River Mhadei is just one instrument.
A lot of things are being said about River Mhadei during the run-up to the elections in Karnataka. The results will indicate the level of frenzy accompanying the campaign.
In Goa, the awareness about River Mhadei is not percolating to the masses because information is being spread through one channel, when many more could have been used or developed.
Rajendra and his team are good and know the subject the best, but there could be teams waiting to help in spreading this message – maybe through a different way. It would not matter as long as it is spread in an effective manner. Not through politics or politicians.
The election result in Karnataka will have a bearing on the flow of River Mhadei and the colours used to paint Goa during elections 2024 may be different too, because by then the BJP may realise that many of the people who attended Amit Shah’s South Goa meeting in Ponda have no voting rights.
Until then, the river will flow despite the wounds worsening. Only an understanding that politicians should be kept far away from the issue and the realisation that the fault may very well lie with us, could possibly lead to somewhat of a change for the positive.