The Aam Admi Party’s Goa unit is still struggling to come to terms with being suddenly thrust with the reins of leading the anti-BJP people’s movement and is not quite sure how to come to terms with it. Moreover little does the AAP in Goa realise what a huge fallout the Delhi results will have on the AAP in Goa. The fact is, that it has become the unexpected recipient of –among other things- the trust of the minorities, in the wake of the Church attacks in Delhi. And it is in Goa- where else- where this impact has been felt the strongest.
If this initial shift becomes a trend, then both the Congress and the BJP will see ground slipping dangerously. Notwithstanding the self denial of the top organisational leadership of the BJP in Goa, which feels that enough Catholics are enrolled as primary members, the writing is on the wall. And sealed with the victory of Kejriwal.
If there was any doubt about the way the minorities feel, and about who they have voted for and will vote later, the words of the Archbishop of Delhi, leave no scope of debate or doubt. He said “The people of Delhi voted against the BJP and its attempt to polarize the voters in the name of religion. The result of these elections is a message to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He should think seriously about his behavior”, said Msgr. Anil Joseph Thomas Couto, Archbishop of Delhi, to the AsiaNews network, on the outcome of Delhi elections
“These elections were negatively affected by the attacks on churches. Five attacks on five different churches and the BJP, which was in power, stood by in silence. What’s worse, it said that what happened was normal, that in many other places similar incidents were happening”, the Archbishop added.
The angst among the minorities is being expressed from the Archbishop’s Palace to the smallest of Chapels in village fields across Goa. The BJP is a complacent party. Its arrogance also prevents it from listening to other voices. It has long stopped learning to listen to whispers of people. Now it doesn’t even hear loud noises.
If there is one state where the AAP Delhi formula can be replicated in its exact form, it is Goa. It has fewer seats than Delhi (40 to Delhi’s 70), the Congress effectively has 4 MLAs -Reginaldo Lourenco, the two Rane’s and Digambar Kamat. The other 5 are either fence sitters or BJP sympathizers, and is in no condition to revive, and there is a fresh leadership emerging. This is either loosely within the AAP space, or in the larger non-BJP, non-Congress neutral civil society space, like for instance Sameer Kelekar the independent candidate in the Panjim by-elections. His support team, which will work with him beyond these by-elections are IT professionals, Chartered Accountants, doctors and so on. Interestingly the minorities in Delhi were attracted to this professional committed core, which is the DNA of AAP, because it is this DNA which will deliver security with prosperity.
For the minorities in India- and definitely so in Goa- security has become an even greater need than recognition, equality and respect, all of which they have indeed received in Goa. However, of late, the elephant of insecurity seems to be growing bigger and bigger in the room. And the minorities in Goa, have a right to feel that if the BJP government sends its police to drag children, women, priests and nuns, protesting against Church attacks, away by force, it can no longer back such a party.
The caveat here is that it could all go wrong for the AAP in Goa if it doesn’t convert sentiment into substantive positive politics in its favour. But for the minorities of Goa, it doesn’t matter as long as any other credible formation gets into shape.
The Congress is irrelevant while the BJP has done the equivalent of harakiri. It underestimated that the minority vote could consolidate in AAP’s favour, in what could be the most under rated reasons for Arvind Kejriwal’s murderous decimation of the BJP in Delhi.
And it could pay the price in Goa, the state the BJP was so proud to rule when they came to power riding on the minority vote.
