How it's a season of political yatras in Goa

AAP's 'Mhargai Mukti Yatra' in November-December against price rise follows a statewide campaign by the Congress to protect Goa's 'land and identity'The season of political yatras has arrived in Goa with assembly elections due early next year. After a statewide tour by the Congress to rally voters, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has announced the ‘Mhargai Mukti Yatra’ in November-December. Mhargai in Konkani, the lingua franca of Goa, refers to price rise or inflation.The yatra begins on November 27 (Constitution Day) and will conclude on December 19, which marks Goa Liberation Day, said Valmiki Naik, president of AAP in the state. Naik said AAP leaders would travel across Goa to hear out people’s demands, expectations and problems. The party will also pitch its six ‘Aamchi Goyak Guarantees’.AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal said rising inflation had made life difficult for ordinary Goans, and highlighted the six guarantees—scrapping the controversial amendment to the Goa Town and Country Planning Act, which allows conversion of land for commercial purposes; free electricity with uninterrupted supply; Rs 10 lakh health insurance for every family; Rs 3,000 monthly dole for women; free bus travel for women; and world-class playgrounds for youth in every village. Kejriwal these guarantees aimed to ease families’ financial burden.The AAP's campaign comes after the Congress’s ‘Goy Rakhon Yatra’ (Goa Protection Yatra) in September-October, which promised to protect Goa’s “land, identity, environment and future” from political or commercial interests. The yatra concluded with a public meeting by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. The ‘Goy Rakhon Yatra’ was reminiscent of the ‘Jana Sampark Yatra’ organised in 2012 by the late BJP leader Manohar Parrikar as leader of the Opposition in the state. The effort had galvanised BJP cadre and voters against the Digambar Kamat-led Congress government. The Congress was voted out of office in elections held a few months later.Goa is witnessing a rising tide of protests against the Dr Pramod Sawant-led BJP government over issues such as conversion of land for development, offshore casinos and linear projects. For instance, villagers from Karapur-Sarvan have agitated against a proposed large-scale housing project by a powerful Mumbai-based real-estate developer. The double-tracking of railway lines for transporting coal has also met with resistance. Civil society members and activists have expressed fear of dilution of Goa’s demography and cultural identity.The Congress has promised to scrap the controversial section 39(A) of the Goa Town and Country Planning Act, which allows conversion of land for commercial purposes.On the other hand, AAP's efforts for a ‘Goa First’ third front, encompassing the Goa Forward Party (GFP), hit a roadblock after the GFP developed cold feet and opened channels of communication with the Congress instead. The Congress has stitched an alliance with the Revolutionary Goans Party (RGP), a nativist outfit of local youth, but factionalism in the RGP and seat-sharing woes persist.The ‘Goa First’ alliance was expected to fracture the Opposition vote even as the BJP fights an uphill battle for an unprecedented fourth term in power. In 2022, the presence of parties like AAP, RGP and Trinamool Congress is said to have contributed to the defeat of the Congress-GFP alliance.The Congress also faces the challenge of gaining the trust of voters. The party has been reeling from repeated splits in its legislative wing, the latest of which came in September 2022 when eight of its 11 MLAs joined the BJP.AAP has two MLAs, Venzy Viegas (Benaulim) and Cruz Silva (Velim), while the GFP’s sole MLA is its president Vijai Sardesai (Fatorda). The attempts to revive the largely-defunct United Goans Democratic Party may also eat into the Congress and Opposition votes, especially in the crucial Salcette region that accounts for eight of the 40 seats in the assembly and a significant population of Roman Catholics (around 36 per cent) and Muslims (10 per cent).Subscribe to India Today Magazine- Ends