Cong bitten but not shy!!

The Congress, it seems, will never heed to lessons taught by the courts, even if it's learnt it at the instance of the no-nonsense 'social activist' Aires Rodrigues.

The rap it got from the High Court which forced its government in Goa to strip two MLAs - Francis Silveira and Nilkanth Halarnkar - of the 'Parliamentary Secretary' position is past and forgotten. Ignoring the spirit of that judgement passed in the petition filed by Aires Rodrigues, the Congress-led government in North-Eastern Meghalaya, has gone ahead and appointed seventeen parliamentary secretaries!

Interestingly, former Goa CM Luizinho Faleiro is AICC general secretary and at the helm of Congress affairs in the North East, including Meghalaya. Himself an advocate, he could not have been ignorant of the Bombay High Court order which forced the Digambar Kamat government to divest Halarnkar and Silveira of their 'secretarial' responsibilities. But to be fair to him, Faleiro, who is otherwise very media saavy, has stayed aloof and maintained an uncharacteristic silence at least in the media, over the recent political happenings in Meghalaya, although its unlikely that the new Meghalaya CM appointed the 17 parliamentary secretaries without his and the Congress High Command's nod.

Mahindra goes the Sesa way

Last week, jeep makers Mahindras pulled out of soccer much in the same way Sesa Goa had over 15 years ago. And while most will be shocked and angry at the move announced by Mahindra United's chairman Alan Durante in Mumbai on Friday last, I am tickled and glad. For, as Durante says, running a club at the top tier of Indian football - the I-League - hasn't helped Indian football much. It has only contributed to its stagnation, with the same bunch of footballers changing clubs at every transfer season, for a higher price.

Resultantly, India continues to be placed at 100-something in the FIFA ranking, lower than what it was ranked when AIFF announced professionalism in football with the National Football League in 1996-97. Then, Sesa disbanded its team and instead invested in a football academy. Today, one-third of the players at the highest level are products of Sesa's Academy.

Bhutias and Brunos don't get made at clubs like Dempos, Churchill Brothers, Salgaocars, Mohun Bagan and East Bengal. They are nurtured in schools, and its time for all to give a serious thought to what Mahindra says it will do -- develop the game at the grassroots level by concentrating on school soccer.

Muscle muzzle
Photojournalists got a taste of how muscle muzzles the press in Education Minister Atanasio (Babush) Monserrate's 'Taleigao Republic' when they ventured there to shoot pictures of the slab collapse of an under-construction hotel project belonging to the minister.

When photographers went to take the pictures on learning of the accident, they were confronted by a group of well-built men, who discouraged them from doing their job. One of the rowdies even threatened to confiscate the camera of a photo-journalist and threatened: "We have trashed the cops and the Youth Congress. what are you (press) in comparison?"

Kudos to the photo-journos who did not get cowed down and stuck to the call of duty and inform the public of the slab collapse that injured some labourers. Strangely, the police booked the case only a day later, perhaps because the incident got reported in the newspapers through photographs and reports.

Water and wine

Dayanand Narvekar made another appearance in dissident best, taking a swipe at PWD Minister, Churchill Alemao, over the water woes in Porvorim and other parts of Bardez. He twisted that historic 'No Bread, then let them eat cake' quote attributed to the 18th century French Queen Marie Antonette and chided Churchill-bab that he intends to supply to the thirsty Bardez residents, not water but wine!

In the same outing, Narvekar also took a swipe at Chief Minister Digambar Kamat, obliquely blaming but not naming the Town and Country Planning Department headed by him for the water woes in Porvorim. The high-rise buildings that have sprung up in the burgeoning township is to blame for the shortage, is his claim.

Kamat, true to his style, hasn't responded. But that's not Churchill's style. The Varca strongman, known to have his ear to the ground, took the wine comment in his stride and in fact patted Narvekar for it.

At a function in Parra to launch some PWD projects, Alemao said he holds no grudge against Narvekar but in the same breath vowed to sort out Bardez' water problems.

'I am here because of the people and I will try and live up to their expectations' was his response to Narvekar's wine-for-water snide.

Remo Fernandes bows

Goa's pop-king Remo Fernandes got a taste of what happens when one fails to practice what you preach.

Performing after nearly a decade in Margao on Friday last, Remo interspersed his songs with jabs and critique of the government, ministers and politicians, for failing to protect Goa and its culture. But in his entire one-and-half-hour performance, the star had no Goan flavour. So some from the crowd kept egging him on to belt out a Konkani number.

But Remo is Remo and he sought to deny the fans the pleasure saying: "When you go to a shop and pay to buy a kg of any item, you don’t get one-and-half kg."

However, in the audience was Margao's first lady, Pratima Coutinho, who in fact was the guest of honour for the show. Not one to let Remo have his say on this one, Pratima ran onto the stage and insisted that Remo sing a Konkani song. Left with no choice, Remo reluctantly belted out “Undir Mujea Mama”, much to the delight of the crowd.

All's well that ends well!

Talepiece

Chief Minister Digambar Kamat did indeed go to Gujarat on May 1 but kept away from the official bash to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of that state. Instead, he attended the parrallel function organised by the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee where he waxed eloquent over the contribution of Gujaratis in Goa's trade and business, when his turn came to speak.

Discretion is indeed the better part of valour what with the CM's off-the-cuff 'Modi is my good friend' comment stirring a mini-controversy in Goa's waiting-to-revolt Congress ranks!