It is so very outrageous that Goa’s longest serving MLA Pratapsingh Raoji Rane has had the rank audacity in now demanding that all the MLAs should be allotted a housing plot at Porvorim so that they could reach in time to participate in the proceedings of the Goa Legislative Assembly.This is a cheap lame excuse to grab land. Making extortionate demand for plots of land from the taxpayer must be resisted.
This is what Pratapsingh Rane’s resolution officially said
“Shri Pratapsingh Rane, MLA to move the following: “This House strongly recommends the Government that all MLAs’ be given housing plots at Porvorim so that they can attend the Assembly work on time.”
It is so concerning despite Goa’s MLAs being extravagantly paid and financially over fed by the State Exchequer with all those enormous perks, that Pratapsingh Rane dared to seek a plot for himself at the long overdue sunset of his career. Are these MLAs not content with the amount of property they have grabbed through ill-gotten means even to the extent of illegally converting agricultural land and the destruction of hills?
Pratapsingh Rane’s recent utterances give cause for serious concern about the state of his mental health. Last year he belittled hard-working dedicated Goans in the UK by insulting their choice to clean toilets to put food on their tables. This unacceptable unprovoked outburst and disrespect for the dignity of labour was widely condemned and is unpardonable. His recent deluded statement calling for environmental activists to be banished and thrown out of Goa for bringing mining to a halt is bizarre and ludicrous. Has his apparent senility caused him to forget the Supreme Court’s ruling? Or does he in this diminished state think that he is higher than the Supreme Court judges? Does the now rancid and possibly senile Pratapsingh Rane have to be enlightened that Goans have excelled themselves in various fields across the World? It was very disgraceful that such humiliating and senseless comments were made by Goa’s longest serving legislator. That over the years he has proved to be a stinking Political failure is another issue.
And if according to Pratapsingh Rane some Goans overseas are cleaning toilets, so be it. But they are doing it with all honesty and humility to earn a living. Unlike Pratapsingh Rane who since 1972 when he was first elected as MLA to date, over the last 47 years, has been scrounging off the State Exchequer having never ever spent a paisa from his own pocket on a bottle of water, a loaf of bread or even a litre of petrol. Less said the better on how during his tenures as Chief Minister, Pratapsingh Rane from his official bungalow in Althinho used to cheerily pop in the evenings to his businessman neighbour’s house next door for free shots of Whisky and snacks. That is what Pratapsingh Raoji Rane was all about. Old habits die hard so even in his twilight years he still makes unreasonable demands to live off the state that he has milked for years and at the expense of the taxpayer who by contrast does not get anything in return.
For almost half a century Pratapsingh Rane and his family have had a ball of a time at the State’s expense.In recent years despite being officially with the Congress having even covertly flirted with the BJP while his son for that glut of Power disgracefully embraced the Saffron brigade obviously with the tacit blessings of Papa Rane who continues to be the BJP’s mole in the Congress.
Unlike neighbouring States of Maharashtra and Karnataka, our Goa is the smallest State with the maximum distance that our bordering Sanguem and Canacona MLAs have to travel is a meager 60 kms. All this is incontrast to our neighboring State MLAs who have to venture over 500 kms to reach their Legislative Assemblies and that necessitates a hostel for MLAs.
So if some MLAs from the extremes of Goa need any accommodation to stay overnight during the sessions of the Goa Legislative Assembly they could be handsomely and comfortably accommodated at that controversial huge palatial bungalow of Cumbarjua MLA Pandurang Madkaikar at Old Goa and we could be assured that Pratapsingh Rane will lead some of his constituency volunteers to keep the toilets of Panduramg Madkaikar’s sprawling mansion spick and span. But those MLAs who spend the night being guests of Pandurang Madkaikar would be doing so at their own risk while St Francis Xavier continues to be infuriated by the rank land violations and then high-handedness of the now powerless Pandurang Arjun Madkaikar.
If the very people that elect these MLAs are expected to time manage and reach their place of work on time and at their own expense so can the MLAs who are expected to lead others and put peoples’ needs first before their own selfish greedy demands.
