APPENDIX A National Congress (Goa) To The Members of Parliament, New Delhi. Sir, I am directed to approach you with this memorandum to impress upon the Government of India the prime necessity for giving their immediate and urgent attention to Goa which is likely to assume great importance in this hour of world crisis. The Korean conflict has evoked from the Prime Minister his great peace move which, to all intents has proved abortive due to the intransigient attitude of some of the world powers. As a result of this, American attitude towards India has undergone a vast change and today that attitude is anything else but sympathetic. It is therefore certain that the Portuguese power in India will take full advantage of America's change in attitude and will offer greater facilities to the American interest in Goa which are already having full sway. It is more than certain that in the event of a world conflagration India will remain neutral, unless her independence is menaced. But as long as pockets of foreign powers exists on the Indian soil, India's neutrality will be of no avail. What guarantee is there that these pockets will not be turned into naval and air bases ? Just as Formosa has been encircled by the American Navy as a so-called precautionary measure against the threat of Communism to that Chinese island, so also it is not difficult to envisage that these Indian territories which are still held by foreign powers, will be transformed into active bases of warfare. We shall then be constrained to ask the question—" Whither India's neutrality ? " lime has therefore come for the Government of India to act and to act swiftly. lest their efforts at establishing peace in Asia and the world may be failed due to the presence of foreign troops in India which are being concentrated in Goa day in and day out. The problem of the residual foreign rule on the Indian soil can and should no doubt be solved by peaceful and democratic means. But in this hour of crisis when India's neutrality is likely to be menaced and when bloodshed threatens peace in Asia the only way to safeguard India's interests is to station Indian Troops in all these Indian territories now held by foreign powers so that belligerent nations may not have the opportunity to establish naval and air bases there and thereby to violate India's neurality. You, Sir, are the representatives of the Indian people. The people of Goa are historically, geographically and culturally Indians and hence we have run to you with fervent hope that you will exert all your influence to ask the Government of India to act swiftly and avert, what to all interests appears a forthcoming catastrophe. The people of Goa must be saved from war and the only way to save them is to give them protection of the Indian Army. The people of Hyderabad and Kashmir were saved by the Indian Army. Time has come to the same Army to save the people of Goa and to defend the frontiers of India. The importance of the Goan harbour must not be overlooked and it must not be allowed to become a danger-spot in India. 200 In order to keep you fully informed of the conditions that exist in Goa at the moment the attached memorandum is submitted hereby with respect. Jai hind. Yours faithfully, V.N. Lavande, General Secretary, Union to Escape Detention and perhaps even worse Revolts and National struggle.—From the 16th century there have been several revolts against the Portuguese power. The revolt of the Pintos which was a rebellion of the Goan Clergy and revolt of Ranes, a Rajput Tribe of Goa, in 1852, 1871, 1895, 1901 and 1912 were all put down with the utmost ruthlessness and brutality. The great Indian National struggle for liberation from the British yoke could not help having repercussion in Goa. The Goa Congress Committee affiliated to the Indian National Congress was founded in 1928 at the Calcutta Congress. But owing to the extremey authoritarian and repressive policy of the Portuguese Government no open organised movement was possible in Goa. Still in 1946, a non-violent movement was launched for obtaining Civil Liberties. In this movement Goans had strong support and encouragement of Mahatma Gandhi. It was met with further repression, arrests, imprisonments, savage beatings and exiles with sentences ranging from 4 years to 29 years. Five Goan leaders are still locked up in the fortress of Peniche in Portugal and many more are rolling in the fortress of Aguada in Goa. Inspite of all these terrors, the movement for liberation from Portuguese yoke continues. It is because of this movement that the Portuguese have let loose in Goa about 5,000 European and African troops to overawe our people. Meetings of Loyalty and protests.—Since, 1947, the Goa Government has put up three big shows in the form of the public meetings to demonstrate the world that the Goans are En Masses for the perpetuation of Portuguese rule. The most recent of these shows was held on 9th March 1950 when the whole machinery of the Dictatorship was put into operation following the Indian Prime Minister's declaration regarding Goa in the Parliament, on the 6th February 1950. All Government servants and infact all sections of the people were forced to sign protest forms and to send telegrams to Lisbon and attend public meetings. Dr. Antbni Furtado, a judge of the Administrative Tribunal and Administrator of Village Communities was dismissed for refusing to collaborate and was threatened with deportation to Cabo Verde, and had to flee to Belgaum for safety. The struggle.—Though the National movement is well alive, the truth is that since 1946 the task of Goan nationalists has in consequence of the ever growing repression of the Portuguese Government and the demoraliation of their own rank and file grown much more difficult. The general impression is that Goans can do little without the help and encouragement of the Indian Government and that the Indian Government is indifferent. The fact of India having a representative in Goa, inspite of Portuguese Government's obstinate attitude, we feel implied accepting the right of Colonialism in India. Moreover, the present Consul in Goa, Major A. N. Mehta has been subjected to all manners of vexatious attitudes which are neither friendly nor diplomatic. He is being openly watched and has 201 been completely isolated by threatening all Goans who might be friendly with him. The democratic policy of the Indian Government is not understood by the Portuguese Government and is even deliberately interpreted as weakness. Besides the present Governor-General of Goa has repeated more than once, inspite of friendly relations, that Goa has hitherto been, is and shall be Portuguese. Portugal has even tried to make America interfere and its Press Lusitania has ever given a distorted report of the American State Department's reply. Still neither the Indian. Government nor its Ministry in Lisbon made the least observation regarding these facts. Some members of the National Congress (Goa) interviewed the Portuguese Consul General in Nairobi, and he affirmed that the Goa problem would be dealt with on an international level and that America supported Portugal. In fact American interests are making progress in Goa. American gold and goods come in from all sides. The Radio Goa, which is growing very popular and which does a lot of Portuguese propaganda, is at the service of the "Voice of America", big Indian Industrialists advertising their products through it. It is said that an American Air Line is going to work the Bombay-Goa route, and that they have already solicited the improvement of Mormugao Aerodrome. The black and white troops are armed with American war-materials. In face of all these, what seems to be indifference and almost perpetual postponement of Goan problem by Government of India has very disheartening and depressing for those Goans who after sacrificing everything are today suffering jails and exile for self-respect. Even those outside jails in Goa live in utter humiliation. We ask, are we not Indians ? Are we not part and parcel of India ? Did every little taluka in India fought separately for its freedom ? Did not Mahatma Gandhi tell us in 1946 that we have nothing to fear, that we had the strength of the whole of India behind us ? Where is that strength now ? Has it disappeared with Mahatma and is India really a free country without us ? Is it to India's prestige to tolerate colonalism on her soil three years after achieving freedom from the British ? We were a mere pimple on the fair face of India, but with the Portuguese in fascist regime of terror and oppression which renders life intolerable in Goa, that pimple has developed into a purulent abscess and needs a prompt surgical operation before it develops into incurable cancer. We think with Dr. Soekarno, that " So long as colonialism exists in India, in Indo-China, Pondicherry, Goa and Korea, there can be no real peace in the world, and still less in Asia. " Memorandum The Portuguese possessions in India consist of Goa, Daman and Diu, having a total area of 4,240 square kilometres and a total population of 6,24,177 inhabitants of which roughly 40 per cent are Christians and the rest Hindus with a microscopic minority of Muslims. Goa is situated on the Konkan Coast between the Districts of Ratnagiri in the North and Karwar in the South. Its inhabitants speak Konkani.