24 Sep 2021  |   05:49am IST

WILL GOANS REPOSE FAITH IN AAP?

WILL GOANS REPOSE FAITH IN AAP?

Stephen Dias

Indian Revenue Services bureaucrat-turned-politician, Arvind Kejriwal could not have got his mathematics wrong when announcing social welfare schemes for the benefit of Goans as his poll promises. Giving 300 units of electricity free to households was his first promise, which seems realistically possible as this similar scheme has been working in Delhi. What he has promised on Tuesday, 21st September to pandemic-stricken Goans also seems to be clever and well-calculated incentives that will come as a major interim relief for a people torn between the rule of two major parties, the BJP and the Congress, who both have not quite been up to the mark in the years gone by.

Let us assess his three main promises to the electorate of Goa: Reserving 80% of jobs in the private sector for Goans, though far-fetched could galvanise young voters to join the AAP bandwagon. This promise has been done with the counter guarantee of setting up skilling universities to train youth in various skills leading to gainful employment. Though time consuming, this is a credible and achievable task. The next one is the Rs 3,000 per month for the unemployed, until they obtain jobs. Since this dole is for a transient period even if unemployed youth numbers are high, budgetary provisions can be realistically sanctioned to meet allocation towards this temporary expenditure to the state exchequer. The third and most ambitious promise of Rs 5,000 per month to each and every mining and tourism affected family would constitute a major burden on the cash-strapped Goan economy which is weighed down by debt amounting to as reported Rs 20,000 crore. However, again being temporary measures until mining is resumed and tourism activities normalise, a calculated risk has been taken by Kejriwal. If the Supreme Court directives are followed in letter and spirit, and the pandemic recedes with the successful implementation of vaccination measures, it is reasonable to expect that mining activities can resume within a year and thus this dole ceases to be a financial burden. 

Also tourism related activities can restart if the pandemic situation in Goa is well managed and this expense too, to the exchequer can be considered affordable. Kejriwal has done his homework well and then announced these sops, which are mostly temporary in nature and these promises can be kept. If Goan voters seek for a change in guard in the state, the 22% vote share that the AAP now claims to have, based on surveys, can increase in four months in Goa to lead to an alternative AAP government in Goa. Could Kejriwal's calculated and prudent promises be reinforced with action, to convince in the time leading to the elections in February 2022 Goans that it is time to repose faith in AAP so as to bring about a radical change in governance of Goa which is more people-centric and keeping at heart the needs of Goans? AAP's performance in Delhi has been so impressive that Kejriwal has maintained overwhelming majority in two successive elections both against the BJP and the Congress. Could Goa prove to be third time lucky for AAP?


IDhar UDHAR

Idhar Udhar