‘It will be a challenge to run this coalition govt’

HERALD: 10 years ago HCN, the cable network and the TV arm of Herald started off as a gem of an idea to produce quality television news and programmes for the people of Goa. We strongly believe apart from other reasons, HCN provides support to its mother newspaper Herald and on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of HCN, we not only celebrate but also ponder and introspect at what ails Goa and what we need to do. Which is why the topic is ‘Rebooting Goa, the Road Map of Making Goa Great Again’. Co-hosted by Rajendra Desai, Editor of Dainik Herald and on the panel Ramesh Gauns, Appa Telli, Adv Cleofato Coutinho, Girish Chodankar, Rajendra Kerkar, Prashant Naik and Nitin Kuncolienkar.

HERALD: It is three months that the government has been formed. There are two schools of thought in the manner in which this government has been formed. Since the government is not in its complete control and is in control of allies, the Chief Minister  and the BJP will not be like a runaway train and do what it wants. The other point of view is that it is going to be a challenge to run a government like this because we do not know if it would come down under the weight of its own contradictions.

Ramesh Gauns: It was an inevitable moment for the BJP as they wanted to form the government and be in power. When the mandate was 17 versus 13 and it has been changed completely on the other side and has provided a new dimension to a democracy which is dangerous trend. There is no way one will be able to get it to what extent manipulations can take place for the survival of the government. Chief Minister has said 500 crores have been kept for Goa Forward, such a separation in a government shouldn't happen.

Prashant Naik: People somehow got used to having a single party government for a long time. They think that coalition government is of the yesteryears. We are in the government, it is because as the saying goes in Marathi ‘kapti mitra peksha dildar shatru’ meaning a 'known' enemy is better than a backstabbing friend. Congress has tried to backstab us and finish our party and therefore we went along with BJP, which is an enemy but a known enemy. I feel that when there are contradictory views, then development can happen at a better level. This puts a responsibility on the government as there is someone who is having a contrary view and will keep you on a watch. This will bring a self-discipline within the government and from that perspective I think this government is going to be very beneficial for the people of Goa because nobody can go berserk.

Girish Chodankar: Prashant stated that we are a backstabber Congress. For the time being, I will accept that we have. But what wrong did the people of Goa do? You had promised that you will never go with the BJP because it is a very bad party. Leave the Congress aside, but what wrong did the people of  Goa do who believed you, as time and again you told them that BJP is not a good party and how secular you were in any circumstance. But by blaming the Congress, you cannot escape your wrongdoings. Leave the Congress aside but be accountable to the people who elected you because they did not want the BJP and all your MLAs who won got elected because he fought against the BJP. If people wanted a BJP government they would have elected BJP candidates but it was you who went on informing people that the BJP is wrong and we will not go along with BJP. However, the current government that you have formed with the BJP has been done betraying the trust of the people. Let us presume that the Congress backstabbed you.

Prashant : There is nothing to presume that you have backstabbed, Congress has indeed backstabbed us. 

Girish: Fine, but the people have not backstabbed you, yet you have betrayed their trust. 

HERALD: While, I don’t mind the direction in which the debate has moved but let us take into context of whether this coalition is the right coalition for Rebooting of Goa?

Cleofato Coutinho: One is rebooting of Goa, second is what people wanted. People clearly wanted a non-BJP government. This government is formed by manipulations and deceit, there is no doubt about it. Theresa May is still negotiating with DOP, what are they negotiating? Their results were out on the 9th and they are negotiating over various policies that the next government will have. Netherlands had their government in March, they don’t have the majority and still talks are going on the formation of the government. And look at what we did? We are known to make mincemeat of any law. We did the same with anti-defection law and the election laws. Today, the High Court is deciding on whether a person who has resigned after taking oath is subject to high court jurisdiction or Speaker’s jurisdiction. This has never happened earlier. My fear is, we have become a laughing stock in the world and in the '90s we had become laughing stock as we were changing Chief Ministers at the drop of hat and today we have become laughing stock for the way our government has been formed. Punjab, Arunachal Pradesh and Goa had a great responsibility in halting the decimation of the Congress party. Which according to me, the present government has been formed by complete manipulation. This government has no backing of the people, it is there because our democracy somehow survives by numbers.

HERALD: If we look at the situation that existed on March 11 and 12, suppose we take that the Goa Forward and Vijai Sardesai decided to act according to the script and stay back and not support the BJP. Was it possible to form the government without any deceit? Because there is so much of mistrust between the Goa Forward and the Congress. 

CleofatO : Once you form the government that mistrust would have dissolved in much the same way the anger against the BJP has dissolved. It is anger against the BJP as against the mistrust of the Congress party. Look at the way Goa Forward had spit anger against the BJP. With BJP it was enmity, it was hate and total fire against them. If they can dissolve that then why not here.

Prashant: I feel those who talk about principles, they will feel this. What I feel is, the way the Congress at the last minute betrayed us. Their Goa emissary, Digvijay Singh, four days before the elections said that both of us want to have an alliance, we will have seat sharing. We will not have a candidate in Fatorda, Saligao and Siolim and we will have a friendly fight in Velim. What happens on the last day? They fielded candidates in all these places. With what face is the Congress coming to Goa Forward. We have hit BJP and with equal venom we have hit the Congress. Congress is Number 1 backstabber. You have to take in the same measure as you give. You need to put your house in order first. What is the guarantee of a party which cannot hold on to its own people. From 17 you became 16 within a day. The Congress has to set it's house in order FIRST. 

Cleofato : Prashant is fully right as he started by saying that ideology has no place and if he is accepting that.

Prashant: Remember that the government is ultimately formed by 24 MLAs and for you all these MLAs are fools. 

Rajendra Desai: While politics is not the agenda of this debate, I still want to ask you a few questions. All the three places that you have your MLAs, you had been fighting against the BJP. Congress had a candidate only in one place, Agnelo Fernandes in Saligao. At other places, even the Congress workers were supporting you thinking that post elections, there would be an alliance between the Congress and you and the government would be formed. However, overnight how enemies become friends, has not been justified to the people yet and you are not been able to answer this the people of Goa.

Prashant: Instead of asking these questions to me you should ask these questions to Girish Chodankar. Why did the Congress field their candidates in these three constituencies? Was it to benefit the BJP? Then why you want to have an alliance with Goa Forward.

Girish: Whether you have betrayed the people of Goa or not, that is the question. Did you not tell the people that you would not go with the BJP? 

Prashant: We have not betrayed the people. Did we say that we would go with the Congress? Show me one statement of ours where we had said that we would go with the Congress. Why would we join hands with such betrayers? And that's the reason we supported an independent candidate against your chief minister. You have compelled us to support an Independent candidate against your so called chief ministerial candidate Luizinho Faleiro, we wouldn't do that.

HERALD: Fireworks will happen and it is expected because all of them have worked in the same canvas and passionately. While all the passion and anger are justified, a state prospers when there is a political stability and policies can be implemented and taken forward. There's a lot of work to be done, whether it is economy, revenue to be raised, employment situation is at an all time low. At the end of the day government formation is only the beginning of the marriage but to take it through and to have a happy married life you need a lot of things to be done. It's a work in progress. As somebody who has been completely involved in the industry sector of the state do you feel a coalition government of this nature which was formed out of a great deal of say animosity, does Goa’s industrial sector feel confident about search a setup.

Nitin Kuncolienkar: There are many projects in the pipeline like bridges, roads and lot of national investments and we have to accept the hard fact whether we like it or not but the true fact is that lot of Central Government push was coming in the last three to five years. So, if you look at it from the perspective of development, it was very essential that you needed a strong leader for the state of Goa who can bargain with the Centre. And when the coalition members demanded that it should be Manohar Parrikar, I think the mandate was more for  Parrikar as the chief minister. And being the Defence Minister at number 3 position, he certainly had a better reputation and better deal and I think from Goa’s prospective it is the best thing that would happen. Some people liked it some people didn't like it, but that's completely individual. It was very essential that we have a very strong person to lead. If you look at the current political trends and even the panchayat elections, I don't think any political party per se is playing the role. It is not necessarily a party due to which the person got elected, the individual is rising and I think that is going to be the future in Goa. So the pattern of the politics in Goa is changing and no single party is heading for a majority and in such a situation if everyone comes together and takes a call on what is best for Goa then I think it should be appreciated.