They were held by Goans in the former territory of Goa, Daman and Diu; then under the administration of the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP).
The civil unrest ceased when premier official status for Konkani in the Devnagari script was granted.
In the 17th century, the Mahratta Confederacy's threat was compounded by their repeated attacks on native Goan Christians and the destruction of local churches.
[3] However, according to the Inquisitor António Amaral Coutinho's letter to the Portuguese monarch João V in 1731, these draconian measures were unsuccessful.
The fall of the Province of the North (today Greater Bombay), which included Bassein (Vasai), Chaul & Salsette Island in 1739; led to the suppression of Konkani gaining new strength.
[3] On 21 November 1745, the Archbishop of Goa and Damaon, Lourenço de Santa Maria e Melo of OFM, decreed that fluency in Portuguese was mandatory for Goan applicants to priesthood & also for all of their immediate relatives.
[3] The result of this linguistic displacement was that Hindu and Christian elites of Goa turned to Marathi and Portuguese, respectively.
Better off Goans, irrespective of their religious beliefs, started sending their wards to English medium schools.
Attempts were made by some members of his Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), to pass a Goa, Daman and Diu Official Language Bill in 1966 which failed.
On 22 August 1970, Bandodkar declared Konkani, written in the Devanagari script, as the official language of Goa along with Marathi.
Although promises were made by Kakodkar in 1977 and thereafter by then Congress Chief Minister Pratapsingh Rane in 1980 to treat Konkani at par with Marathi, the matter was kept in abeyance till 1986.
In their election manifesto, the Congress party had stated that once statehood was achieved Konkani would be recognised as an official language and demands would be made to include it in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution.
This led to an agitation in 1986 on the streets popularly called koṅkaṇī prajētso āvāz (voice of the Konkani people).
The civil disobedience only halted when the Goa, Daman and Diu Official Language bill was presented to the legislative assembly.
The first Vishwa Konkani Sammelan was held in Mangalore in 1995 wherein 5,000 delegated from 75 centres from India, the middle east, the US, UK, etc.