The disunited opposition is now gunning for the Chief Minister, while the Bharatiya Janata Party has stood solidly behind their government, demanding instead that Malik should have resigned from the constitutional post he holds before making these allegations on a national television channel. Though the Governor, in another interview to another channel may have said that the opposition should not use his statements to demand the resignation of the Chief Minister, it is too late as the opposition has found the much-needed ammunition they needed to target the government.
Even 48 hours after the former governor’s interview was televised, the debate on what he said has not subsided and is in all probability going to grow in the run-up to the State Assembly polls due in less than four months from now. There was, however, a silence from the Centre over the allegations made by the governor.
Malik has always been an outspoken Governor. During his tenure in Goa that lasted just around 10 months, he had raised a number of issues with the government in the State and also with that at the Centre. If there was an issue that he felt required the intervention of the Governor, he went ahead and intervened, often without weighing the consequences to himself. That perhaps was the reason for which he was transferred to Meghalaya even before completing a year in the State. He does make the claim, stating that he was transferred out of Goa for raising the issue of corruption in the State government. He has now raised it again, so perhaps there may be more consequences for him. It, however, has given fodder to the opposition that, though speaking separately, have made similar demands.
For a disjointed opposition that had been struggling to find issues that could be milked during the election campaign, these charges made by Malik could not have come at a better time. In 2012, BJP rode to victory on the plank of corruption, now can the opposition dislodge the BJP government on the same issue? Corruption is an issue that can have a wide appeal with the electorate, more than the various other issues that are limited to the area where they are prevalent – hence mining resumption does not matter to the non-mining talukas, nor does coal transportation strike a chord with people not living along the path the coal is transported. Corruption on the other hand affects people across the spectrum and has played a major electoral role in the past.
Malik is a Governor who always spoke his mind. During his stint in Goa, he took up the issues of the Mhadei and the restart of mining operations, writing to the Centre and seeking the Union government’s response to this. His intervention may have not yielded any result as the issues still linger over a year after he was transferred, but during his stay in Goa he acted as the link between the State and the Centre and his transfer was a loss to Goa in that respect. Additionally, he was able to force the government to defer a few decisions, such as the construction of a new Raj Bhavan that he felt was expenditure not required in the midst of the pandemic. The Raj Bhavan project has since been taken forward.
Malik’s allegations have succeeded in fuelling up the political parties in Goa. Any other takeaways from this will depend on the length of time that the opposition can keep the pressure on the government. For now, they have the upper hand.