The
text of Goa State Bharat Mukti Morcha President Maggie Silveira’s speech at 3rd Annual conference of
Rashtriya Mulnivasi Mahila Sangh held at Swargate, Pune on 17th May 2015.
This is an English translation of original speech in Hindi addressing over 6,000 delegates from various parts of India.
Jai Mulnivasi! I am Maggie Silveira,
President of Bharat Mukti Morcha, Goa State.
On the dais, Hon.Waman Meshram, Smt. Kavita Singh IAS, Director,
N.R.H.M., Ministry of Health, New Delhi (Our Chief Guest), Hon.Nisha Meshram,
All Women sitting on dais, and all Women and Men present in this Auditorium.
Freedom for women is very important.
Women needs freedom from their husbands. B.M.Kamble sir on 3rd
December 2010 organized one day cadre camp at Dulapi, Tiswadi, spoke in detail
about Bharat Mukti Morcha and BAMCEF and I got fully convinced on what
B.M.Kamble spoke about Bamons is highly true and that’s the day I decided to
join Bharat Mukti Morcha. I had no doubts on what B.M.Kamble spoke.
Today’s topic “Without creating
nation-wide women’s organization transformation is impossible in India: a
serious discussion”. I have a question to every man who is present here: have
each man who is sitting here in this auditorium, have they come with their
wives, sisters, daughters? If yes, then it is very good, excellent. If no, it
is very bad and very sad. Freedom does not come for free; we have to pay the
price. That is why it is very important to set the women free. In this country
Varna system and Jati system is developed by making women as its base and for
its development, women are used as an asset and after using women in this way a
strong Bamani system is founded. It is not possible to end that system
personally. To end this there is need to generate an organized force. This will
be possible by forming an organization. Only then big transformation is
possible. That’s why this subject is placed for discussion.
Its our responsibility to involve in
freedom movement, all the women has to be set free as all the women has right
to be free. To attain such freedom we have to fight ourselves. Savitribai Phule
was well known amongst Britishers for her poetry in English. Savitribai Phule
made an opening for education for women. We must all be grateful to Savitribai
Phule as it is through her education got imparted to the entire womanhood in
India and beyond in spite of strong blocks of Bamons, she excelled and
contributed to Jyotibha Phule’s movement and even lead the movement for five
years after Jyotibha’s death. That’s why she is honored with title
‘Krantijyoti’.
Eurasian bamons has made mulnivasis
slaves. We women are enslaved by these very Eurasian bamons who has not allowed
us to move forward in society in India. Now the time has come to know who is
our friend, who is our enemy.
Our Hon.Waman Meshram sir said in Goa
positive thinking is very important, with positive thinking we can move ahead
in society.
Bharat Mukti Morcha is highly advancing
in Goa from all fronts. Our freedom struggle, agitation, movement, goes in this
following direction.
Our Archbishop of Goa Felipe Neri Ferrao
has sold our fields 3,00,275 square meters of land which is a sold to Mahendra Gaunekar who is also a Bamon
like Archbishop Felipe Neri Ferrao for peanuts. All this is in Vanxim island in
Tiswadi taluka. Mahendra Gaunkar then sold it to Ozone corporate for crores of
rupees. The project that was to come to come up was worth 900 crore include
Golf Course, recreational club, private marinas, spas, villas (each villa
costing 22 crore), casinos, prostitution, Helipad etc. We went to survey number
8 that is a water bodies with professional cameras and got the report of survey
number 8 and filed objections before Chief Town Planner, facilitation centre,
Chief Secretary that we object the same.
Bharat Mukti Morcha is involved in
diverse interventions in various problems in nearly 19 villages of Goa – Cacra,
Odxel, Bambolim, Siridao, Curca, Nauxim, Agassaim, Goa Velha, Santa Cruz, Taleigao,
Dona Paula, Sancoale, Cortalim, Baina, Kharewada-Vasco, Tiracol, Ribandar,
Diwar, Vanxim etc.
In Mandovi river there is looming
disaster planned again by Bamons is called Pontoon. Now, what is Pontoon? It is
floating bridge that is 18 meters long and 10 meters deep. No EIA (Environment
Impact Assessment) is carried on. In spite of this permission is given by
Captain of Ports and Chairman of Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority. Scientist
Antonio Mascarenhas has prepared detail report of how bad this Pontoon and need
for full-fledged EIA report. His study observed that this pontoon is going to
promote soil erosion and affect nearby residents. But he has been over ruled and permission
granted, and asked to plant 200 mangrove saplings.
Five villages Cacra, Nauxim, Siridao,
Odxel, Bambolim, most of them fishermen; there is illegal fishing activities
going on as trawlers come regularly. 30 trawlers, 28 trawlers, 25 trawlers, 20
trawlers, 19 trawlers, 15 trawlers, 10 trawlers, 5 trawlers, 3 trawlers were
coming on everyday basis and troubling the traditional fishermen cutting off
their nets which then needs repairs. Main grievance with trawling is that it
destroys marine ecology by dragging the riverbed and in fact it is banned in
rivers and even in sea within 5 kms
zone. Having met the director Sharmila
Monteiro on couple of occasions followed b y secretary fisheries Amjat Tak IAS
we managed to stop these trawlers to a great extend. Director of fisheries Sharmila
Monteirao is continuously supporting the trawlers in spite of Bharat Mukti
Morcha’s strong intervention. We condemn Director of Fisheries Sharmila
Monteiro for supporting the trawlers and indulging in mismanagement of
fisheries causing harm to the traditional fishermen through promotion of
compromises.
Hotel Grand Hyatt is involved in
promoting water sports in Zuari river where traditional fishermen do fishing.
Hotel’s Water sports boats including those of aqua sail are regular irritating
nuisance to local fishermen. Aqua sail sometimes operate their motored boats in
their own uniforms while after complaints from Bharat Mukti Morcha they are operating
in plain clothes. In both cases it is illegal. Yet Director of Fisheries
Sharmila Monteiro tells us that they are not the same people even though we
have photographic evidence to prove that
they are the same people in plain clothes. Again we condemn Sharmila Monteiro
along with Hotel Grand Hyatt, their nexus.
On May 07, 2015 Fisher people along Vasco
bay at Kharewada abandoned by all the political parties joined Bharat Mukti
Morcha. Murmagao Port Trust (MPT) in order to expand is involved in series of
demolitions of houses of coastal dwellers including of traditional fishermen.
Bharat Mukti has objected in writing to MPT plans of conquest and war on all
the coastal dwellers fishermen and others in Baina, Kharewada, Desterro, etc.
Bharat Mukti Morcha is also involved in
protests against Marinas at Bambolim and Sancoale promoted by MPT. Marinas are
dockyards for hundreds of luxury Yachts of super rich people from all over the
world on visit to Goa. Marinas has threatened to put full stop to fishing activities
in Zuari River thereby putting large number of fishermen out of livelihood.
This is form of river grab just like land grab in Mopa, Pernem taluka of Goa
for Greenfield international airport.
In Tiracol, Bharat Mukti Morcha protested
corporate terrorist violent attack at the wee hours of 1.00 am on 15th
May 2015 morning by 50 goons funded by Leading Hotels corporate cutting down
trees and constructing road overnight violating legal ban on Golf Course and
luxury villas work.
All these projects of displacement
camouflaged as development are master minds of Bamons and executed with
political parties that are impotent to defend mulnivasi interests of land and
river, housing and agriculture. They no longer defend public interest.
On October 29, 2011 Hon.Waman Meshram
inaugurated blog of Bharat Mukti Morcha www.bharatmukti.blogspot.in
and so far it has crossed 46,000 hits. This blog in English has detail
information on advancement of Bharat Mukti Morcha in Goa. This blog id must be
published in Mulnivasinayak so that mulnivasi people reading the newspaper are
kept updated on Goa situation and our work in Goa.
In this way women must know histories;
who are our friends, who are our enemies, who are our enemies but pretend as if
they are our friends as it just happened in Goa where people whom we considered
as our friends betrayed us but we marched ahead and came out triumphant.
Jai Mulnivasi! Jai Bharat! Jai Goa!
