WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2024
Cedric Da Costa
Flashback 2012:
In the middle of the BJP wave in 2012, one constituency which was holding out was Fatorda and that Vijai Sardesai would be given the Congress ticket. But the Congress has an uncanny knack of shooting itself in the foot. They denied Sardesai a ticket, after leading people to believe that he was the Congress’ sole choice in Fatorda. The then CM had a couple of days earlier inaugurated Sardesai’s election office and announced him the Congress candidate from Fatorda.
It was on Feb 12, 2012, when the news broke out in Fatorda. Voters urged him to contest as Independent. He won, thus ending a decade-long docile rule of the sitting BJP MLA Damu Naik. Parrikar through his backdoor channels sent feelers to Sardesai asking him to contest Margao as the BJP candidate. But Sardesai refused.
Steady 2017:
With Parrikar in Delhi as Defence Minister, the Opposition led by Independent MLA Sardesai was making life miserable for the ruling. His MAAD yatra set the mood for the elections. He called out to like-minded parties to form a pre-poll coalition to defeat the BJP govt.
The Congress kept Sardesai hanging and forced him to go it alone with his Goa Forward Party. They put a candidate against him and used NGOs, some of whom were caught distributing incriminating material and VCDs trying to defame him.
GFP won in 3 of the 4 seats contested (strike rate of 75%). Even after the humiliation by the Congress, Sardesai was ready to form a govt with them. But the procrastination of the Congress prevailed and Parrikar came down from Delhi to form a coalition.
Today in 2021:
From the onset of 2020, Sardesai has been calling out the like-minded parties to unite to save Goa from Delhi-centric policies of the BJP govt. Issues like Mhadei, Mollem deforestation, Tamnar projects, financial mismanagements, breakdown of law and order, mishandling of the COVID-19 crisis were highlighted by him.
A joint political leadership was needed and had to come from Congress. But once again Congress, reeling under the exodus from its legislative wing, buried its head. With elections only two-three months away, the Congress leadership still maintains it is yet to decide on alliance.
Goans are still trying to figure out if the Congress has a hidden strategy with the BJP to win and give away the mandate a la 2017, are losing hope in the same players within the Congress. There is resentment in the Opposition for admitting rebels and the fear is more rebels could create a heist on election eve and run away with the party ticket.
Can Sardesai keep waiting for the Congress to respond to his calls for opposition unity or take matters into his hands and give the people of Goa a new dawn?
Goa waits the burning of the political narkasurs and ushering of a new dawn by Diwali morning, with new light leading to the change Goa would want to see on its land.
