Panaji, April 5 (IANS) Upset over an unsolved minor girl's rape, constant police harassment and an inflation-stricken kitchen may have given Goa its only illiterate candidate for the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.
Out of the 19 candidates contesting the general elections from two constituencies in Goa, Balkrishna Salgaonkar, 42, is the only one listed as an illiterate, a rarity in a state, which otherwise likes to flaunt its high literacy rate of over 87 percent.
"It was the Vasco rape case which really was the trigger for me. My brother's child studies in the same school. We were all terrified. Neither the BJP nor the Congress helped in getting the case properly investigated," Salgaonkar told IANS.
"The Congress even organized a candle march in protest against the rape in Delhi (Nirbhaya gang rape case), but in Goa they were useless as an opposition," he said.
Salgaonkar was referring to the rape of a minor girl in school a couple of years back, a crime which has confounded both the police and the Crime Branch. The Central Bureau of Investigation was finally handed the case last year.
Until recently, Salgaonkar had a string of criminal cases registered against him. None of the crimes find mention in the affidavit submitted to the Chief Electoral Officer, because he claims that the cases have fallen through in court.
Salgaonkar runs a grocery store with his wife and brother-in-law and has a Rs.1,000 deposit and between the couple they have possessions worth just over Rs.3 lakh. It was his decision to down his store's shutters as part of a general protest by the community against sloppy police investigation into the rape, which earned him one of his many cases, he claims.
"The local BJP MLA threatened me to open the store. Even beat me up and then ordered the police to file complaints against me," Salgaonkar said.
The other trigger for him to contest the election to the South Goa seat was rising cost of vegetables and essentials in Goa.
"The real enemy of the Goan kitchen is (Chief Minister) Manohar Parrikar and his decision to impose toll fee of Rs.500 on every incoming vehicle including trucks carrying supplies and veggies has really increased costs," Salgaonkar says.
Asked if he seriously expected to win the South Goa seat, Salgaonkar says: "People living here told me to contest instead of just working as social worker. 'They will vote for me', is what everyone told me in my neighbourhood. For the other votes, I will only pray to God."
His campaign has no public meetings, LCDs, thunderous speaker boxes and hordes of 'well-wishers'.
"I take the public transport bus to major towns like Ponda, Margao, Canacona and campaign in the bus and at markets. I just tell them about the troubles we are having because the Congress is useless and the BJP is corrupt and inefficient," Salgaonkar says.
Pitted against Salgaonkar is BJP's Narendra Savoikar, a lawyer, Congress party's Aliexo Reginaldo, a businessman and agriculturist, and Aam Aadmi Party's Swati Kerkar, a social worker.
Toyota to Help Train Kerala's Technical Students
Thrissur (Kerala) Jan 20 ( IANS) Toyota Kirloskar Motor Pvt Ltd, in collaboration with Toyota Motor Corporation, Tuesday announced the launch of its distinctive training model - Body & Paint
Women's team won ODI series in England after 23 years: Beat the British by 88 runs, Captain Harmanpreet scored 143 runs in 111 balls
Indian women's cricket team won the second match against England in Canterbury by 88 runs. With this, the Indian team has taken an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. Harmanpreet Singh's
Upcoming Movies 2022: These six much-awaited films will be released in theaters on this day, the makers released the official statement
Shahid Kapoor's 'Jersey' was set to release late last year, and was about to clash with Ranveer Singh's '83. However, due to the erratic rise in Corona cases, cinema halls were shut, especially in
Now what will you get in UP?: First of all, the Yogi government will fulfill this promise, see what is in store for youth, farmers, and women
In Uttar Pradesh, BJP has won a landslide victory with 255 seats. Among allies, 12 candidates of Apna Dal (Sonelal) and six from the Nishad Party also won the election. Now soon Yogi 2.0 government
Rajya Sabha member Manorama Sharma is dead
Gurgaon, Feb 18 (IANS) Congress leader and Rajya Sabha member from Uttarakhand Manorama Dobriyal Sharma Wednesday died here at a private hospital, a doctor said.Sharma, 59, was undergoing treatment
Bengal minister resigns, joins BJP
Kolkata, Jan 15 (IANS) In a jolt to West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress, minister Manjul Krishna Thakur Thursday quit the ministry and joined the BJP.Thakur, who holds the refugee, relief and
What became cheap and what became expensive: From clothes and mobiles to diamonds became cheaper, buying an umbrella would be expensive
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the General Budget 2022-23 amid the third wave of the Corona epidemic. In this budget, the government has emphasized making the country self-reliant in
Hockey players clashed in Commonwealth Games: Angered by a stick, one player grabbed another's throat, and pulled T-shirt; The referee kicked off the field
The men's hockey match was played between England and Canada at the Commonwealth Games on Thursday. During this, there was a fierce fight between the two players. Canada's Balraj Panesar and England's
Will die if vaccinated, rumors spread in this village of Ajmer, people are avoiding taking the vaccine
In many places in the country, people are avoiding taking the corona vaccine. A similar case has come to the fore in the home district of Rajasthan Health Minister Raghu Sharma. In a village in the
Ram Mandir: Offering of one crore to Ramlalla in 15 days; Ram devotees donated whole heartedly, offered so much gold and silver
Ram devotees are donating openly in the court of Ramlalla. Devotees have been flocking continuously since 23rd January. The counting of the money offered in the six donation boxes (hundi) kept in
