Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar has emerged as thewhite knight of the mining peoples by making an unexpected late entry on apitch which is clearly skewed. His solidarity show with the Goa Mining People’sFront has turned the battle to restart mining in Goa on its head.
While sections of the BJP including its spokespersonNarendra Sawaikar dismissed it as a political gimmick, it took a Parrikar tounderstand that a Pawar punch could actually work better in the corridors ofDelhi than a Parrikar punch.
Armed with a representation from the Goa Mining People’sFront, Sharad Pawar actually met the environment minister Jayanti Natarajanmid-week to discuss the Goa mining stalemate, the first such meeting sinceNatarajan cancelled all EC clearances of Goa mining leases on September 12,2012.
This breakthrough is important since Pawar is in the topthree of the UPA seniority pecking list. Parrikar despite his stringent demandof being allowed to handle Goa's affairs without interference, needs theMinistry of Environment and Forests to start releases Environment Clearancesand reach a consensus on the issue of buffer zone limits.
Pawar's entry has fuelled hopes, Christopher Fonseca, AITUCleader says “the decision taken by Pawar is on the right time. He has visitedGoa at the darkest hour.”
Atul Jadhav, President, Goa Barge Owners Association, amember of the Goa Mining People’s Front and signatory to the petition to Pawar “SharadPawar has taken the proper decision in the right direction. He is putting agood effort to solve the mining issue of Goa and we welcome his appeal of anall party meet to solve this issue. Mining has stopped due to politics.”
BJP MLA from Sanquelim Pramod Sawant departed from his partyline and welcomed Pawar’s initiative, “We welcome the decision and move ofSharad Pawar on the mining issue of Goa. It is a right move, only the localleaders here are making an unnecessary issue out of it.” Another BJP MLA from Sanvordem Ganesh Gaonkartoo concurred against BJP’s faux pas and said “Pawar’s move is the need of thehour for the betterment of the mining affected people.”
The state NCP however has a minimal role to play even thoughit turned up for a photo op. “What Pawar saheb has done has not been done byany Central leader. He personally met the mining affected people and shows whoin reality is concerned about the mining affected. Take my word for it, he willensure that legal mining will start soon and he will move mountains at theCentre to ensure that mining restarts,”asserts Jose Philip D’Souza, former NCPMinister
Pawar’s intervention couldn’t have come earlier with theParrikar government having finalised its lengthy and affidavit on the miningscenario to the Supreme Court.
