The outbursts of Deputy Chief Minister Francis D’Souza make it almost clear that all is not well within the Bharatiya Janata Party, which presents itself as a disciplined party. In what could be called a major embarrassment to the BJP, D’Souza said that the post of Dy CM is merely ornamental and has no meaning. D’Souza’s statement, “I am just like any other minister, no special privileges or perks or anything. What is different is just that I get an escort vehicle,” speaks volumes of the treatment meted out to him by the saffron brigade. His statements assume significance since in November 2014, when then chief minister Manohar Parrikar was elevated to the position of Defence Minister of the country, D’Souza, being the deputy chief minister, should have been the automatic choice for the chief minister’s post but that did not happen and Laxmikant Parsekar was selected to lead the government.
What could be more damaging to the BJP is the timing D’Souza’s outbursts. This being an election year the party, which has been criticised for its U-turns, is trying to build an image, but this issue has now rattled the BJP. D’Souza’s outburst is not only targeted at the party but directly at Chief Minister Parsekar, who appears to have turned a shade more arrogant. Sources state that the minority MLAs, be it Michael Lobo, Glenn Ticlo, Benjamin Silva, Caetano Silva and Avertano Furtado, were a happier lot under Parrikar than under Parsekar. The Dy CM may have his own version to offer about the Kochi trip of the six Catholic legislators, but it is hard to believe that it was just a sheer coincidence that D’Souza’s outburst against CM and the trip came at the same time.
It began with the secretary level transfers, which D’Souza was unhappy about. Though it is the prerogative of the Chief Minister to transfer officers, as he holds the General Administration portfolio, it is also necessary that he consult his ministers on the issue. In the present instance it is learnt that it was not Parsekar but Parrikar who ordered the reshuffle of portfolios of all the secretaries. Also, it was Parrikar who had directed the transfer of Bardez Mamlatdar Khorjuvenkar to Canacona, just on a telephonic complaint from a minister of a constituency in Bardez. In the circumstances it was quite obvious that a senior politician like D’Souza would be upset. One fails to understand why Parrikar needs to intervene in the State administration when he should be in his office in New Delhi, dedicating his time to the defence of the nation.
However, by merely talking about the issue and then stating he is a loyal soldier of the party and will end his career in the party, D’Souza will not achieve anything other than embarrassing the party. What exactly is he trying to achieve by the outbursts? He has been in the party long enough and needs to be respected but somehow he does not get that. The moot question is whether this has got to do with him being an MLA from the minority community. What goes against D’Souza is the helplessness that comes through in his statement, “What can I do? This happens in every party. I have been in the Congress. It is the same, and what can we say?”
He appears resigned to the circumstances, and the same is also with the other Catholic MLAs who all seem to be unhappy but have failed to express their feelings aloud due to the gag orders from the party. An example is the treatment meted out to Alina Saldanha, who was stripped of the Environment portfolio for opposing the marina and other projects. With the elections drawing closer, we could have more such statements from the disgruntled lot of MLAs.
