The legislature party of the BJP does not really need an opposition. It has got its fair share within its own MLAs who are finally speaking out, in a, “it’s now or never” situation. At the meeting of the BJP’s legislative wing on Friday, the statement of some of its MLAs that BJP ministers are functioning like ministers of their own constituency, is not surprising at all. But it is a barometer of the displeasure within the legislative wing of the party which is the correct report card of governance.
Speaking to a cross section of BJP insiders, including senior leaders and MLAs, whose increasing frustration is leading them to actually ask members of the media to highlight their plight, two things are evident: a) Their confidence levels of winning the next elections is far lower than the party’s, whose pretence that they will get an even larger number of seats than 2012 is amusing, and b) The BJP’s belief that their welfare schemes are working and that alone will lead them to victory, is apparently false. If the schemes were working, MLAs wouldn’t be demanding a better performance from ministers.
There are increasing worry lines on the faces of BJP MLAs. Contrary to popular belief, the common issues which occupy debate and discussion space like the non-implementation of the MoI policy and the absolute betrayal on the Regional Plan, the failure has been on two other fronts, the abysmal number of jobs created and infrastructure and development not reaching where it matters, i.e the remotest of villages.
There are increasing reports of how jobs in the PWD and Power Department, among others have been filled with people from the constituencies of ministers. These reports are not incorrect. The disgust over jobs in departments filled by locals from the minister’s areas has led to two conclusions: a) Job growth is not a matter of State policy, it is limited to getting the ‘minister’s’ boys (or girls) into government service b) Those elected and in government have one limited but very clear objective, to each his own.
Therefore when MLAs who are not ministers are feeling short changed by their own party ministers, there is every possibility of them charting out independent courses. This would mean that during the campaign, they will not speak for the party but about what they can do in their own areas. Therefore BJP’s success will depend on how many MLAs can pull off solo acts of achievement rather than them winning on the party vote. The inherent disadvantage of this here, is that MLAs who manage to win will further develop their individual stranglehold in their constituencies. This may create strong MLAs but lead to a weak party. The Congress has suffered from this in 2012. The BJP will now be cursed with the same syndrome.
Having said this, the BJP MLAs who are now complaining about their own ministers must also do what all political parties which have suffered losses promise to do, “introspect”. They must look within to figure out why they won in the first place. If they are brave enough to be honest, they will conclude that the absolute hurt and anger towards the Congress and the irrational belief that people had, that Manohar Parrikar would be the change that Goa desired, are both things of the past. This is not to suggest that the Congress will be handed back power on a platter – that’s too far-fetched – but the ground realities which got BJP and BJP backed MLAs elected have altered. Therefore in their effort to walk alone and try and build their own bases, the sheer weight of them being BJP MLAs, will be tough to bear. It’s excess baggage all right.
