The BJPs slogan for the 2017 elections in Uttar Pradesh is Mission 256 plus. At its National Executive Meeting starting in Allahabad on Sunday, it will spend most of its time strategizing on UP, almost as a referendum for Narendra Modi’s rule.
Officially though, the meeting has been called to look at all the poll bound states along with UP, which includes Goa. And while the National focus will be on Uttar Pradesh alone, there are a couple of major talking points that will center around Goa’s push forward in 2017.
It is significant that this National Executive meeting is being held before the next major Union cabinet reshuffle. There has been a buzz, and this is much than a rumour, about Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar wanting to move back to Goa as Chief Minister. While the duo of Narendra Modi and Amit Shah haven’t quite decided whether to re-anoint the defacto super CM of Goa with the Chief Minister’s position, it’s clear that Mr Parrikar has stopped pretending that his national duty is more important than coming back to Goa. His very royal observations of he being a prince of one department in Delhi and how he would be King in Goa, has left no one in any doubt where Mr Parrikar wants to place his throne and rule.
As far as Goa is concerned, this will probably be the most important decision that the party needs to take. In any case, the BJP’s campaign in Goa will centre around him. However with falling stakes and the rapid shrinking of support among the minorities, a time may soon come when the party will have to calibrate the extent to which Mr Parrikar will front the next elections or not. While he remains its best mascot even in the grip of anti incumbency, he also remains the face of betrayal of many of the key promises on which the BJP rode to power.
If the Goa delegation does get a few minutes to hold the attention of national leaders, for whom Goa will be passing interest, relatively speaking, it must get the Prime Minister’s attention on the single biggest worry the BJP in Goa has at present – creating jobs and looking for avenues to sustain long term employment opportunities. While many investments have been recorded by the Investment Promotion Board on paper, none of them have opened their doors, literally and figuratively to local employment. And with many of them being hotel and other real estate projects in the garb of eco tourism, effective employment remains a mirage.
This is where Manohar Parrikar must take personal interest and ensure a push towards job creation and employment and increasing investment in manufacturing. If this growth is achieved, or looks to be achieved, the BJP can at least enter the battle field with something in hand. Or else, with decisions which are clearly anti-people greeting the people of Goa with each passing day, the party may need a chintan baithak (introspection meeting) on Goa very soon.
