Congress Joins The Fourth Estate, In Time For Goa Polls

Congress Joins The Fourth Estate, In Time For Goa Polls

By Frederick Noronha

PANAJI, Goa. Mar 22: Guess who¿s taken up the job of investigative journalism in Goa these days? None other than the former ruling Congress party.

It accuses the Goa Governor and CM Manohar Parrikar of abusing the constitution, Parrikar of cheating his own Cabinet colleagues, and says the BJP has made Goa one of the highest taxed states in the country with a per capita taxation of Rs 5,000 per annum.

It also points to the shocking figures of what it says is the sidelining of the minorities in the recently-expanded police force. Soon after the BJP took over office, it added over 1000 men to the ranks of the approx 3000-strong force, and the Congress charge is that recruitment figures show the police has become "deeply saffronised".

To highlight these and other issues, the Congress has gone ahead and launched its own eight-page tabloid, even as Goa gears up for yet another assembly election, after the BJP government got the House dissolved speedily following a threat to its majority.

In recent days, reporting has turned somewhat critical of the BJP government. But for many months, sections of the press were being charged of taking a closely pro-BJP line, possibly being one reason why the Congress opted to launch its own irregular "publication".

In recent days, reporting has turned somewhat critical of the BJP government. But for many months, sections of the press were being charged of taking a closely pro-BJP line, possibly being one reason why the Congress opted to launch its own irregular "publication".

Newspapers and other publications have had a tendency of coming up surprisingly during the pre-election periods in instability-prone Goa. In the past too, politicians have made their intention clear of launching ventures, which however didn¿t last long or just simply failed to take off.

In recent months, a number of new publications -- particularly monthly magazines -- hit the stands. Political affiliations or intentions were not immediately clear, though some seemed to have the generous advertisement support of the new BJP government.

Calling itself a publication "for the people, by the people", the English-language tabloid carries no name of any publisher or editor. But it¿s Congress affiliations are made more than clear by the sharp focus on the party¿s point of view. It has particularly taken pains to promote the leader of the Opposition and ex-CM, Luizinho Faleiro.

¿Goa Gallery¿ hits out at octogenarian Governor Md. Fazal, a BJP nominee in Goa, and chief minister Manohar Parrikar, for the strange set of events which saw the Governor speedily dissolve the Goa Assembly on February 27, when the BJP¿s majority in the house apparently was threatened.

Governor Fazal was "duty bound" to call the leader of the Opposition to try and form a government, if the BJP lost its majority, argues the ¿Goa Gallery¿.

"Instead, the Governor remained incommunicado despite all attempts by the Leader of the Opposition to contact the Governor, and issued the Order dissolving the House," alleges the