is shooting itself in the foot, by falling into the personality trap when its un-hindered focus should be on trying to be a serious opposition party which takes on the government on issues.
While Luizinho Faleiro’s tenure has seen a partial movement on organisational rebuilding, this went into a tailspin post the Louis Berger scam where its former CM Digambar Kamat was the verge of going to jail. Post that phase the GPCC president seems to have focussed more on handpicking his candidates in constituencies and creating differences and unrest in those constituencies, rather that serious planned organisational building. But he cannot be entirely blamed as it were, since he is caught between reshaping a party which is devoid of even block committees in several places, and rushing to have his own candidates in place to prepare for the 2017 electoral battle.
There is a two-fold danger here. Firstly, it takes the focus away from the party and takes the focus to personalities picked by Faleiro and those who feel let down by him. Secondly, the attempted Congress revival seems to be centred round Team Luizinho and not Team Congress. The Congress Legislature Party is actually the ‘Congress lost in the woods party’. The CLP leader has misled with his silence and deep freeze on issues of importance on the floor of the House. Meanwhile virtually every MLA has been “neutralised” in a Parrikar-esque fashion with the government unearthing cases and misdeeds against Congress MLAs forcing them into absolute silence or a wilful conversion into the BJP way of life. Prime example – Mauvin Godinho.
The silence of the lambs, script is played out by Pandurang Madkaikar, Babu Kavlekar, Digambar Kamat and others each having so much to hide and cover. Where is the time, inclination or the guts to play the role of opposition leaders?
Which is why when a non electable Vice President Moti Desai, in the GPCC by virtue of his personal loyalty – sycophancy raj if you like – to Luizinho Faleiro, jumps the gun to issue a statement that Sonia Gandhi has asked Mr Faleiro to contest the Assembly elections from Navelim, it reflects how personality oriented this has become. Goa will never accept sycophancy raj as an antidote to family raj.
While Faleiro may claim that he has tried his best to revive the party and not himself, he hasn’t displayed enough to prove that his decisions are party decisions. For instance, the deep division between Faleiro and Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai, who is attempting to occupy the much needed fresh faces opposition space, is absolutely personal. Apart from Faleiro, no one in the party has endorsed the hard-line that the Congress should have no truck with any other non-BJP party. Moreover, the rapid “selection” of candidates by rthe GPCC president unofficially, while maintaining that a proper process will be followed hasn’t convinced too many.
Yet at this point of time, the Congress needs Faleiro to complete the task he has been sent here for. But it also needs Faleiro to be more inclusive and do the following:
1) Identify the BJP as its only opposition and not just its principal opposition
2) Be absolutely open to any other non BJP formation, which also pledges that it will not be with the BJP in any form or manner at any point of time.Attack the BJP and not other anti-BJP fronts or formations
3) Get the CLP to vociferously take on the government on the floor of the house on its collective failure and U turns on several issues. (Back and current issues of Herald may be used for ready reference)
4) Stay clear of virtually announcing ‘candidates’ in constituencies. However look at four to five potential fresh faces in each constituency and do a detailed due diligence without making their names public now.
5) Build and strengthen booth and block committees leaving no booth or blocks uncovered
And lastly, if one may add, keep loose cannons like GPCC Vice President Moti Desai, tied to a political leash.
