No Woman, No Cry...

Chief Minister Digambar Kamat did last week what the name of the singer of that famous 70s reggae number 'No Woman, No Cry' suggests in amchi Konkani -- bob marley (shouted). Yet, the people in the press galleries didn't hear him too well or so Diggubab himself claims.

The almost two-and-half-year-old Chief Minister, was in a bit of a spot, when two news agencies known to tango in tandem, reported that he pitched against women entering politics. The agencies' reports claimed Kamat said that society would be impacted negatively if women, lured by the proposed 33 per-cent reservation for them, start to pursue politics vigourously.

A few English twists and turns thrown into the agencies' copy that covered this Kamat quote at that women's conference organised by Institute Menezes Braganza, and the 'news' turned out to be a political hot potato for him in Delhi. What with the Sonia Gandhi-led Congress in the forefront of the move to push the Constitutional Amendment for women's reservation through, it indeed was Digubab's political nightmare.

For the record, we still aren't sure what Kamat exactly said at the conference. We are even more at sea over what he meant, if he indeed said what the agencies claim he did. All we have to rely on is the agencies claims and Kamat's own counter-claims, alleging that he was 'misquoted' by the agencies.

But the episode, like the 'Advani is like rancid pickle' quote of his former mentor Manohar Parrikar, sure did put our CM in a bit of bother, politically.

Rane Sr’s ‘contract farming’ funda

There's nothing to speak of agriculture here in Goa. Yet, Goa's politicos, opponents of politicos (read GBA, village groups, Xetkarancho Ekvotts, etcectra) besides everyone else and sundry keep harping on farming and greening Goa day in and day out. It matters not to them, that they say one thing yesterday, a second thing today and will say something else tomorrow.

Thus was the case of Goa's longest serving CM but now the Speaker Pratapsing Rane last week. At a show where his many years junior Digambar Kamt inaugurated the new HQ of the Goa State Horticulture Corporation, Rane Sr made a strong case for farming. He lamented that many of Goa's agricultural lands are fallow and exhorted CM Diggu's government to move legislation so that these fallow stretches of land can be cultivated through 'contract farming'.

Three decades ago, when he began his political innings under the wings of father-daughter duo of Dayanand Bandodkar and Shashikala Kakodkar, Rane Sr had authored the report of the House Committee on Land Reforms, which turned out to be the death knell of agriculture in Goa. The 'Rane Report' of the 1970s, which incidentally borrowed large chunks from a similar document prepared by former West Bengal Governor of Goan origin A L Dias, was the guiding document that the government of the day relied on to enact the Agriculture Tenancy Act.

So, why another legislation now? Doesn't the law governing lease and licence contracts suffice?

FICCI ka firki

Suddenly the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) has begun pontificating on issues that do not concern Industry at all. The Indian industry lobbyist is now advocating abolition of the public distribution system (PDS) because it says the lifeline of millions of Indians involves large revenue leaks. Instead, it has proposed to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) that the government introduce 'food stamps' for the starving below poverty line people.

Beats me how 'food stamps' will not leak! Yet, I fervently hope Dr Manmohan Singh takes the FICCI recommendation seriously and acts. But before that, his government should issue a huge 'Jail Stamp' for all of FICCI's Ramalinga Rajus, Ketan Parekhs and not to forget, the late Harshad Mehtas, who bribed to misuse and abuse the hard earned money of every Indian 'aam admi' parked in financial instruments like the US-64 and such other mutual funds.

Last but not the least a 'Shut-up Stamp' for FICCI itself is long overdue.