Those expecting to learn what the government plans were to restart the mining sector in the State, or awaiting a clarification on the Mhadei water issue, were deeply disappointed on Sunday, as Bharatiya Janata Party National President Amit Shah made no mention of either issue during his address to the party booth workers. The BJP has clearly, with the meeting on Sunday, shown that it has already entered election mode, with the aim to retain both Lok Sabha seats from the State in the 2019 general elections. The party workers were encouraged by the National President, and also by Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar through a video message, to work for a BJP victory in 2019.
Minister Francis D’Souza confirmed that Shah’s was not a political meeting but it was to encourage workers for “future challenges” and so the question of Shah raising the Mhadei issue did not arise. The Mhadei issue was, however, important, as Shah, during the campaign for the Karnataka elections had promised farmers Mhadei water within six months. All that Goa wanted was a clarification on this statement.
However, while the party organisation concentrates on its ‘future challenges’, which are electoral in nature, is the party’s government concerned with the challenges the State is facing at the current point of time?
When the State is going through turmoil over the inclusion of villages into Planning and Development Authorities, when there are demands for the scrapping of the Regional Plan, when the stoppage of mining operations has left thousands unemployed, and a myriad other issues are raised up, shouldn’t the government face these challenges, the present ones affecting the people, before preparing to face future electoral challenges?
The government has no plan in place for mining. On the eve of Shah’s meeting, mining dependents had demanded action from the BJP national president rather than hollow promises. They got neither. The PDA issue is snowballing into a major controversy, and has gone beyond with demands to stop land conversions as villages across the State are beginning to rise in protest. It was not broached. The focus instead was on winning the 2019 polls. How does the party expect to take along the people, if it’s government does not address their concerns?
The current government is not the strongest that the BJP has had in Goa, cobbled together after it got just 13 seats in the State Assembly. And this aspect emerged from the meeting as Shah too reiterated the State government’s stability. While local party leaders and those in alliance to form the government regularly make statements assuring the people that the government is stable, Shah too used the opportunity to attempt to end speculation on the stability, stating, “I want to give you confidence that the BJP-led government will complete its tenure of five years in Goa and not only that it will form the next government in the State with full majority.”
This constant reiteration of the State government’s stability by all alliance partners, leads to the assumption that foundation of the government may not be as strong as it is projected to be. The speculation of stability has increased since March, when the Chief Minister flew to USA for medical treatment. In a video message to the booth workers, Parrikar said he was confident that in the next few weeks he will be able to be in Goa.
Before it goes about strengthening the party, it is the government that requires to be boosted with a shot of adrenaline to finish the obstacle race it began in March last year. Quite clearly the obstacles are increasing, the government is weakening and the finish line is still a long way ahead.
