While this criticism may roll down like water off a duck’s back, the over whelming presence of Manohar Parrikar almost half the week in Goa, is an issue which is rightly being debated and questioned. While Mr Parrikar may consider this his state and consider his manner of functioning as absolutely unquestionable, we must point it out to him that Goa is bigger than him.
The fundamental problem with his visits is the manner in which he is micro managing and running the Goa government, in a way which disturbs the grammar and ground rules of governance. While Mr Parrikar may well take the view that anything goes as long he knows what is correct, why should this view be accepted just because Manohar Parrikar is saying this? He is not an elected MLA from Goa, a position he has given up. He is neither an MP from Goa. His political footprint which is embedded in Goa can never for a moment be doubted. But at the same time this political footprint must be wiped out, the moment it enters the portals of governance, whether it is run from the Secretariat or the Defence Minister’s camp office in Goa.
He has created a parallel and perhaps the only authoritative system of governance in Goa. This totally unofficial system has become the system. The bureaucracy, the police and all arms of the government report to him as a matter of fact. Instructions are passed down telephonically when he is Delhi. Projects and several files are cleared after a phone call from bhai. Most ruling party MLAs no longer approach the Chief Minister to clear pending files. It is routed through the Defence Minister.
It was absolutely shocking that this week Mr Parrikar was in Goa in the beginning, then sent to Maharashtra to meet the victims of the fire in the ammunition facility of the armed forces in Maharashtra. Post that, the Defence Minister rushed back to Goa and held a meeting of the GSIDC reviewing all Goa’s infrastructure projects, with the Chief Minister sitting next to him. Senior officers and many MLAs were called for this meeting. According to one of them, the CM of Goa was reduced to a powerless no body.
The trouble with this system is that the official arm of governance gets eroded. And decision making has to be adjusted to the Defence Minister’s schedule. But the bigger danger is this. One man has usurped absolute power with no accountability. If there are financial frauds, incorrect decisions, unfulfilled promises and non attention to grievances, the Chief Minister, his cabinet and his ruling MLAs are accountable. Manohar Parrikar is not. The people of Goa cannot be sufferers if a super CM chooses to enjoy power without responsibility.
His argument that he can run the Defence Ministry from anywhere does not pass muster. Firstly his attention is fully focused in Goa when he is here. And if the Defence Ministry can be run from Goa, then perhaps India can be run from Gujarat. If that is the argument then why doesn’t Narendra Modi run the Prime Minister’s camp office from Gandhinagar?
Manohar Parrikar cannot sail in two boats. He needs to step off one. If he chooses Goa, he should resign as Defence Minister and contest a by-election and get elected again. Goa does not need Super Chief Ministers. It needs functioning ones.
