BULLSEYE : Will Pramod Sawant's "Yendu Gundu " Jibe at Karnataka CM , hurt Goa BJP ?

Sawant's ‘Yendu Gundu’ Jibe: Has the Goa CM Forgotten How the BJP Wooed Kannada Voters? | BULL'S EYE Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has mocked Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar for speaking Kannada during the Congress's Goy Rakhonn Yatra. According to Sawant, speaking “yendu gundu” will not win votes in Goa because Goans understand Konkani. But has Sawant forgotten the BJP's own history of bringing Karnataka leaders to Goa specifically to woo Kannada-speaking voters? In this edition of *BULL'S EYE*, INK Goa examines the political contradiction behind Sawant's remarks, the historical importance of Karnataka-origin voters in Goa, and why ridiculing Kannada could have political consequences for the BJP, particularly in Mormugao taluka. During the 2017 Goa Assembly elections, the BJP brought former Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa to campaign in Cortalim, Santa Cruz and Taleigao. Union Minister Ananth Kumar was scheduled to campaign in Vasco and Mapusa. These were not accidental choices. The BJP had carefully identified constituencies with substantial Kannada-speaking populations and deployed leaders who could communicate with these voters. A January 2017 Indian Express investigation documented how the BJP collected detailed information about voters' linguistic and regional backgrounds, even identifying which parts of Karnataka they came from. The importance of these communities becomes particularly evident in Mormugao taluka, especially Zuarinagar. Developed around industrial migration from the 1970s, Zuarinagar has a substantial population of Karnataka-origin families, including the Lamani community. Reports from 2018 estimated that approximately 11,000 of Cortalim's 29,000 voters were associated with Zuarinagar. This electorate has influenced successive elections. In 2007, it supported Congress candidate Mauvin Godinho. In 2012, many voters shifted towards Matanhy Saldanha, and in 2017, towards Alina Saldanha, who won Cortalim by just 518 votes. Mauvin Godinho's continuing political engagement with Zuarinagar, including housing and infrastructure issues, further demonstrates the importance of this electorate. The contradiction extends beyond 2017. In 2019, Sawant criticised Congress for not bringing national leaders to Goa, while highlighting the BJP's use of Narendra Modi, Nitin Gadkari and Devendra Fadnavis. In 2022, Fadnavis managed the BJP's Goa election campaign, with Karnataka leader C.T. Ravi also playing an important organisational role. During Karnataka's 2023 elections, Goa Minister Vishwajit Rane addressed voters in fluent Kannada. Reports also recalled Sawant himself attempting to speak Kannada while campaigning. So why is Kannada acceptable when BJP leaders use it to seek votes, but an object of ridicule when D.K. Shivakumar speaks it? BULL'S EYE asks whether Sawant's attempt to attack Congress has instead exposed the BJP's double standards towards Kannada-speaking voters in Goa. Watch the full analysis on INK Goa. \#INKGoa #BullsEye #PramodSawant #DKShivakumar #GoaPolitics #Karnataka #Kannada #Cortalim #Zuarinagar #Mormugao #MauvinGodinho #BJP #Congress #GoaElections2027 ======================================================================================================== Connect with us: Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ink_goa_off... Facebook -   / 1qsftrrdtq   Website - http://inkgoa.com/