There is an increasing rumbling within innards of the BJP that its high profile, energetic and admittedly efficient Calangute MLA Michael Lobo has been baiting the party, to the point of making it acutely uncomfortable on occasions.
The irony here is that Lobo is not quite the rebel. He has been immensely prudent not to weigh a single word against his party, focussing instead on causes which he thinks will pay him dividends, even though the party line on his causes are at best ambivalent or at times at odds with the party’s approach.
The most recent act in this interesting political theatre is his promised largesse to the Banjara community living in Goa that he would work towards giving them Scheduled Caste status. Now the Banjaras, demographically or otherwise, have no local Goa linkages. Mainly nomads from Afghanistan they moved to parts of Rajasthan and are now found in parts of Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Maharashtra and Karnataka. The influx of the Banjaras or Lamanis into Goa has been mainly from Karnataka. In parts of Cortalim, Vasco and Calangute constituencies, their numbers have swelled, putting them in a position to have a decisive influence in electoral politics there with a spill over effect in adjoining areas.
Last week Lobo, clad in an attire very similar to the local Banjara tribes, sporting a headgear and speaking in fluent Hindi, said that the Banjara people have contributed to the building of roads, bridges, homes etc and he would work towards giving them Scheduled Tribe Status.
The reaction was sharp and quick. And as always the first reactions surfaced on social media with memes on Lobo sprouting by the minute. There was one meme of Lobo wearing a traditional attire of the banjara tribe (also known as Lamanis) sitting outside what looked like a stall. The picture had a caption “Lamano Lobo – Spotted in Candolim.”
But the reactions from both the party and the government were no less sharp with Tribal Welfare Minister Govind Gawde quick to point out that the deprived dhangars, from Goa have been waiting for their much needed ST status. Gawde minced no words as he said “Michael Lobo is not an ordinary MLA, he is the Deputy Speaker of the House, what kind of statements are these?”. Gawde is an independent first time MLA and minister and these are indeed very strong words. Meanwhile BJP president Vinay Tendulkar, distanced the party from Lobo’s statement and he too referred to the failure of the attempt to includes the Dhangars as ST. He asked “How is this (including the Banjaras) possible.”
Interestingly, the scheduled tribe population in Goa has increased from a mere 566 in 2001 to 149,275 in 2011, a massive jump of 1,48,709. This is the population which will compete against each other for benefits and schemes for ST’s. Isn’t it clear that the addition of the banjaras will mean far more will compete for existing benefits for ST’s with the banjaras not from Goa. It is very clear that this will find resistance through the state, but thats not quite what Lobo seems to be looking at.
The take away from this is interesting and piquant. The Calangute MLA has been making statements,literally on behalf of party and government, as a solo salvo, with those issue not even raised at any level. The intended beneficiary of statements made is Lobo himself.
The banjara population in Calangute, if it votes enmasse, may well be his tipping point in a constituency where this vote bank has never been selectively targeted. Similarly, Lobo openly backed the taxi lobby, where he intervened to ensure that the government did not stick to its deadline of installing speed governors, and tacitly backed the taxi lobby’s objections to digital meters, by making it conditional to not installing speed governors. Moreover when the taxi lobby threatened to bring Goa to a standstill if the KTC introduced app-based taxis, there was silence in the government ranks barring the transport department threatening to act against them if any such action was carried out.
And then of course he decided to move a private members resolution to install Dr Jack de Sequeira’s statue in the Assembly, in sync with the demands of Goa Forward, after the party passed a resolution against installing any statues more statues the Assembly,
It is apparent that Lobo is playing to only one gallery, his own political one. And he is going to the extent of baiting his own party but taking positions which are not his party’s. Many MLAs and ministers have ly expressed anger and frustration at Lobo but the Calangute MLA is on a different mission i.e. his own political stability above all else. Given the fact that the BJP will give him a long rope due his winnability (something that most BJP MLAs except Manohar Parrikar himself, cannot boast of), Lobo is making the most of his situation.
At the same time, the baiting is also helping him address groups and vote banks, which may be antithetical to the BJP, that he is ready to take positions which are for them, even at the cost of antagonising his party.
It’s a fine balance. Only time will tell when this will tip and who will be the ultimate beneficiary.
