The AICC “observer”, the venerable Mr P Chidambaram, made the grand announcement that there will be no more defectors from the Congress.

The Harvard Educated Economist and lawyer has been a student of value and a practitioner of law. But these degrees still don’t prepare you for astrology. But in this case, Chidambaram may well be right. And this is how. 

If you don’t have candidates or win seats, there will be no one to defect  

Mr P Chidambaran may well be right when he says there will no defections from Congress. He may be right. Because defections mean a party loses some MLAs from the lot it has. From 2017 right up to the close of the term of the Assembly, the Congress has only lost MLAs. Starting from the very first day of the Assembly when Vishwajit Rane resigned immediately after being sworn in as MLA. Since then, Congress has not really managed to keep any security guard to stop is MLAs from moving out. So they will not lose anymore because it has no one to lose

From 17, they now have 4. Of the four there is no certainty of anyone finally contesting on the Congress ticket. Even if they do, there is no certainty that they will remain Congress MLAs for the next Assembly term. Pratapsingh Rane may not contest. Ravi Naik is as good as out of the party and may not contest too (his son, in the BJP, is more likely to). Meanwhile, Digambar Kamat and Aleixo Reginaldo  Lourenco are in the party, as of now, but the chances of absolute guarantee of their loyalty to the Congress is like getting snowfall in Salcete.

The situation of the Goa Congress is that of an owner of a jewellery shop that has been robbed of its jewels saying that he will not allow any jewel to be robbed.

The Congress is therefore trying to close the stables after the horses have bolted.

The Congress has woken up four years after all their horses have bolted from them. Where was the desk in charge or the Leader of the Opposition or the new state party president and his team, who said that there will be a Congress government in 24 hours after Luizinho Faleiro leaves his post of party president?

When 10 MLAs went in one go to the BJP, did any Congress leader say that there would be no defections?

Does any Goan remember any Congress leader saying that the party would see no more defections when 10 MLAs went to the BJP over two years ago? All these MLAs resigned and joined the current party in power (ready-made) in the name of “development”. Their voters are still wondering whose development? Now they know and it was not for their development or that of Goa’s.

Instead of holding the leadership responsible they rewarded the same leaders (leader of opposition and GPCC president) and asked them to lead the party again. What does this show? Does this show any intent of taking themselves seriously?

The result is for all to see. Sandesh Gaonkar, brother of Sanguem MLA Prasad Gaonkar, who had joined the Congress recently left and joined the TMC on Wednesday. The MLA Prasad Gaonkar too pledged support to TMC and said he would join the party after his term as MLA ends.

It is not that the Congress did not get the right advice. They simply rejected it.

For the last two years, many loyal partymen who have worked quietly for the party for over 20 years and much more have told the leadership and when given a chance, to the central leadership, that the organisation needed to be revived and re-energised. But these Congress leaders paid their price and were side-lined. Responsible media did the same through their columns, analysis and even in person to person meetings. But now the Central leadership refused to pay heed to anybody.

Chidambaram also said that if the Congress gets a majority, it will stake claim in 5 minutes and won’t repeat past mistakes. But it was not a mistake, it was a deal.

“I assure you that once you get us a majority in Goa, a government will be formed. The mistakes of 2017 will not happen,” he said.

But has he told Goans that it was not a “mistake” but a deliberate plan? As Luizinho Faleiro has said, he was almost forced to stay back and not go to the Governor on the insistence of the then AICC desk in charge. This was not a mistake. This was a deal struck by the AICC boss of Goa then. So, it should be called the same. Goans have no assurance that these deals will not be repeated.

If the Congress had actually realised all their mistakes, they would have changed their leadership long ago.

P Chidambaram said that past mistakes will be not be repeated. But the biggest mistake is of going with a leadership under whom the party has got destroyed. What more can one say of this party?