Team Herald
PANJIM: It looks like heightened political activity and churning is going on within the BJP over new emerging power centres and positions that will come into play with the almost certain induction of Digambar Kamat and the likely one of Aleixo Sequeira into the Sawant cabinet.
If you enjoyed reading this article, you can help support our journalism by adding OHeraldo as a preferred source.
However, Kamat is unlikely to settle for just a Cabinet berth given his status as a Chief Minster who ran a successful and stable Congress government for a full term of five years, a feat not achieved by any BJP Chief Minister yet.
Meanwhile, though there are no confirmations on this development, it clearly seems that in the run-up to the completion of Operation Lotus in Goa, the Kamat camp indicated that the Margao MLA, given his seniority, would like to explore the possibility of not reporting to anyone in the government.
Kamat’s role in the government was discussed at the highest levels in the central party leadership which is solely in charge of post-defection politics in Goa. Party insiders have let on that there are important non- political sections that wield a lot of say within the innermost circles of the BJP and are backing a top leadership position for Kamat post his Ghar-wapsi (homecoming).
At the same time, the BJP is dealing with a State cadre and grassroots workers who feel a little taken aback at the mass defection of eight MLAs. One of the office bearers of the BJP Goa state unit has written to both National Secretary BL Santosh and the Prime Minister, a letter which explains the mood among the Goa cadre. Herald is privy to the contents of the letter which states “Such decisions make karyakartas at a state-level irrelevant and does not infuse confidence. While in political machinations it is a good move to decimate the opposition, the only gain is a short-term gain in Goa. In the long run it will cause us some strain.
We cannot forget that the main stakeholder in a democracy is the people who vote. You can be forgiven once for orchestrating a defection, if it becomes habitual, people will go against the party and it will be the party karyakartas that will be the first to move in silent opposition.”
The State unit, the government, and the Central leadership are aware of the mood in Goa. The cadre needs some time and the feeling that they are going to remain as important players in the setup. In addition, the BJP did get a majority in the Assembly against odds, under Sawant’s leadership and further added to the numbers. Also, this is the second time when Congress MLAs chose to break away and be under his leadership, though barring 3, none of them from the first lot won again.
The future is pregnant with possibilities with at least one certainty- the Margao veteran will be in a core leadership role in the BJP government.
