August 27, 1955 THE ECONOMIC WEEKLY Last Chapter in Freedom Struggle Background to Goa Satyagraha S T Chary BUT for the personality and popu- is estimated at about 100,000, out in this and various forms of strug­ larity of Prime Minister Nehru of whom about 80,000 are in Bombay. gle were tried under its leadership. the 'Goa Tragedy' would have cost According to the history of Goa' But the technique was the same as the Government dear. People have by Father M. J. Gabriel Sal dan ha, in Goa. It took a few years more for faith in him. though they disagree which is supposed to be a reliable the French to quit. It was the with his policy on this particular book by Goans, the whole of the result of Governmental pressure as issue. Probably for the first time territory did not come under Portu­ well as the people's fight. Portugal in his life, he is confronted with guese rule at the same time. On 25th refuses to do what the other two challenge on a large scale. If he November, 1510 A.D., Alfonso-de- colonial powers have done. So a is too great to deviate from his Albuquerque seized the city of Goa struggle for the liberation of the convictions and principles, he is also from Adil Shah, the Muslim king of Portuguese territories in India has too human to ignore the demand of Bijapur, on the pretext of protecting become necessary to complete our the people. A born fighter for free­ Hindus from him. The same year, freedom struggle. It is a fact that dom, he cannot but bless other he conquered Goa and its adjacent during the freedom struggle in the freedom fighters. That is why islands of Divar, Chorao etc. Diu rest of India, Congress did not though mass satyagraha for the fell in 1546 A.D. and Daman in 1559 bother about Goa in the sense of liberation of Goa is against the A.D. The enclaves of Dadra and conducting a parallel struggle declared policy of the Government Nagar-Haveli came into Portuguese though the subject always found a and Congress, he wished the Satya- hands in 1779 A.D. from the Peshwa place in Congress resolutions. Of grahis well. of Poona. The Novas Conquistas course, in those days, no one could have imagined that a situation of Before examining the various as­ (New Conquests), which comprise this kind would develop in Goa. pects of the present movement for the present talukas of Pernem. Everybody fondly hoped that if the the liberation of Portuguese terri­ Bicholim, Satari, Ponda, Quepem British were forced out, the libera­ tories in India, it is necessary to and Canacona, were finally annexed tion of other foreign pockets would have a broad picture of their his­ towards the end of the 18th century follow in a matter of days. India torical, social and cultural back­ between 1782 A.D. and 1791 A.D. has been free for some years now. ground. Geographically, the State This shows that four-fifths of Portu­ Yet Goa remains under the Portu­ of Portuguese India comprises the guese India, that is, 1227 sq. miles guese. Not only that, its liberation territories of Goa, Daman and Diu out of a total of 1532 sq. miles, presents a challenge. It is trying with a total area of 1532 sq. miles, were occupied and acquired by them the patience of the Government and of which Goa accounts for 1309 sq. only at the end of the 18th century. the wisdom and determination of miles, Daman 219 sq. miles and Diu Portuguese possessions in India the people. 14 sq. miles. The district of Goa are under a Governor-General resid­ Is administratively divided into 11 ing at Panjim, now known as Nova- For the last 8 years, our Govern­ talukas; Daman into two talukas. Goa. Goa is under his direct con­ ment has advocated and tried the Daman proper and Nagar-Haveli in­ trol, while Daman and Diu are policy of settling international pro­ cluding Dadra. The last one has under two Lieutenant-Governors. A blems by peaceful and friendly nego­ already been liberated. The District Governor's Council with advisory tiation. Through a tiny colonial of Diu constitutes a single taluka. powers assists the Governor-General power, interested nations of the in his administration. Most of the world are trying to put this policy Low literacy members of the Council are nomi­ to the test. From successive state­ According to the 1950 census, the nated and not elected. There is a ments in Parliament In the last total population of Portuguese India High Court, with 5 judges and one week, it seems that the Prime was 637,591. On the basis of reli- Attorney-General. The laws in force Minister is not only aware of it, but ligion, the population distribution in Portugal are enforced in the determined to defeat it. In reply to was: Hindus 388,488 (60.9%) Chris­ Colonies even without the formality repeated requests from India for tians 234,275 (36.7%); Muslims of consultation. Nova-Goa is the a peaceful and negotiated settle­ 14,162 (2.2%); Parsis 339; Jews 50; capital of Portuguese India. Sala- ment of this vexed problem, Portu­ Buddhists 56 and others 204. Of zar's dictatorship was established in gal has bluntly said that it does the population, 499,579 are illiterate. Portugal in the year 1926. This not consider its sovereignty over Of the literate, those who could read year is notable because from then Goa to be a matter of dispute with and write only in Portuguese was no opipion different from that of India and that therefore it is not 1.43% while those who could do Salazar and his stooges has been prepared to discuss its tranfer with so in Indian languages was about permitted either in Portugal or its our Government. If this position is seven times that number, viz. 10.56%. colonies. accepted, they have very magnani­ The Konkani dialect of Marathi. mously offered to give assurances with a mixture of Portuguese words, A Challenge and guarantees about India's terri­ te the spoken language of all non- The Portuguese were the first of torial integrity and security! Europeans in Goa, and Gujerati in European Colonial powers to occu- Daman and Diu. The number of py this country. It took about sixty Non-party Campaign emigrants from Portuguese India years for us to drive the British In the face of such presumptuous who have settled in the Indian Union out. Congress took the initiative declarations from Portugal and the 1036 THE ECONOMIC WEEKLY August 27, 1955 1037 August 27, 1955 THE ECONOMIC WEEKLY oft-repeated policy of our Govern­ if all concerned were warned about on goods brought for smuggling. ment, non-congress political parties this in time. But after the short-lived Korean have come to the conclusion that If the Satyagraha is not called off, War boom, the trend has come to there is no likelihood of Goa being which is very unlikely in view of be reversed. Besides, the best mar- liberated now or in the near future the growing tempo of the movement ket for the greater part of their through governmental negotiations both inside and outside Goa, and export has been the Indian Union, unless some unexpected developments the Portuguese authorities on their Shri T. B. Cunha, an eminent Goan should supervene. And it is not wise part continue their 'trigger-happy' patriot, puts it graphically thus in to leave the inalienable right of methods, it is certain that a situa­ his book, 'The Goa Problem', freedom to chance. As Congress tion will arise sooner than later "Our economy is strongly linked is the party in power, it is not in wherein Nehru will have to decide with India. It is the money earned a position to express itself freely on shooting down Indians within by Goans living in India that ser­ or be at variance with the policy the land in the name of law and ves to balance the bankrupt eco­ of the Government; therefore, it order or effectively prevent the Por­ nomy of Goa's external trade. We cannot take the initiative and leader­ tuguese from shooting our peaceful are fed with food coming from our ship for the liberation of Goa. and unarmed countrymen, irrespec­ neighbourhood. It is Indian capital Hence other political parties in the tive of the international complica­ that helps us to exploit our indus­ country, viz., the PSP, Communists, tions that it might lead to. If he tries. The Portuguese never invest­ Jan Sangh, RSP etc. and a large should make up his mind soon, pre­ ed any capital in our land and are number of Goans outside Goa, have cious lives could be saved. only taking money out of. it." In united in the Goa Vimochan Samiti the light the foregoing, it is neces­ to complete the unfulfilled part of Peoples Right sary that financial measures should Congress work. The Satyagraha Knowing human nature and feel­ be accompanied by an effective trade movement for the liberation of the ing as he does, it should have been embargo if our purpose is to be Portuguese territories is strictly on clear to the Prime Minister by now achieved. a non-party basis. Of late, many that the people of this country would Pakistan's Action Congressmen have joined the move­ stand no more mass massacre of In this context, one cannot but ment in their individual capacity.