Goa Liberation Day

Subject – Polity

Context – Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be in Goa on Sunday as the state celebrates its 60th liberation day.

Concept –

An important port for trade and military operations, Goa was ruled by the Portuguese for more than 450 years.
- The Portuguese colonized several parts of India in 1510 but by the end of the 19th-century Portuguese colonies in India were limited to Goa, Daman, Diu, Dadra, Nagar Haveli and Anjediva Island (a part of Goa).
While historically, revolts against Portuguese rulers and their policies were recorded in the 18th and 19th century too, on June 18, 1946, the movement of Goa’s liberation gathered momentum after socialist leader Dr Ram Manohar Lohia plunged himself into the freedom movement with many young Goans.
- The day is now observed as Goa Revolution Day.
However, even as India became independent on August 15, 1947, Goa continued to be under Portuguese rule 14 years after that.
After India’s independence from the British in 1947, the calls for Goa’s Liberation again gathered steam.
After multiple agitations by freedom fighters, India made peaceful attempts for Goa’s liberation through diplomatic channels.
However, as a last resort, the Indian government then led by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, sent in its armed forces to the coastal state after which the Portuguese surrendered and Goa was liberated on December 19, 1961.
This moment also marked the exit of the Portuguese, the last of the European colonisers to leave India.

‘Operation Vijay’

Perhaps the first tri-service operation of the Indian armed forces, Operation Vijay was about the liberation of the Portuguese territories of Goa, Daman and Diu.

What happened after the liberation of Goa?

Goa was annexed into the Indian union and was the Union Territory of Goa, Daman and Diu.
In 1967, through a plebiscite the majority of the Goan people voted against a merger. It continued to remain a Union Territory until 1987 when it was accorded statehood.
Goa became India’s 25th state even as Daman and Diu continue to be Union Territories.