This was the time it was all happening last year. The elections were getting over, the results would be soon out and then the BJP-led coalition government with MGP and Goa Forward plus Independents would be formed, with a new template for sagacity and political opportunism.
No political pundit would have ever expected to see the sight of Mr Parrikar leaving for the airport, for Mumbai and in all likelihood, enroute to the United States, days after he turned to present the budget in a dramatic manner on February 22. He spent four of those eleven days in the Goa Medical College, ‘officially’ for dehydration.
However an indication of his health status and the hiatus he will have to take from politics and Goa, was clearly given when it was finally decided that a cabinet advisory committee (CAC) consisting of Francis D’Souza, Vijai Sardesai and Sudin Dhavalikar would jointly run the administration and sign off on all important financial decisions with a cap.
Secondly calling IAS officer Mr P Krishnamurthy to Goa, from Delhi, where he continued to function as the Secretary to CM, assumes significance. He, along with the Chief Secretary Dharmendra Sharma are officers the CM trusts immensely and can be expected to run the government exactly in the manner Parrikar wishes to, through skype, mails and phone calls, if he goes to the United states.
It is clear that they have a huge onus on them. Even with the CAC in place, it is the senior administration which will execute the final decisions of the Chief Minister and in situations where the CAC may have a view which may be in variance with Parrikar’s, Messers Dharmendra Sharma and P Krishnamurthy, will have to execute the Chief Minister’s final call.
The manner in which the administrative arrangements have been made seems to suggest that Parrikar is in no mood to cede effective control even temporarily. He has not announced the name of any of his senior cabinet colleagues to be ‘acting CM’ or ‘In Charge’ as CM during his absence. Secondly, he has not delegated a single one of his twenty odd portfolios to ministers of the CAC. He will actually take decisions on his portfolios through the Chief Secretary (Sharma) and Secretary to CM (Krishnamurthy). This is in keeping with his earlier decision of flying to Goa on the day of the budget and presenting it, after authorising Sudin Dhavalikar to present the budget and Chair the cabinet meeting on February 22.
However, it is reliably learnt, he is also working on a plan B in case his absence from work is even longer. Parrikar is clear that, even in a situation where he may have to temporarily step down on health grounds (if at all), Sudin Dhavalikar and the MGP should remain entrenched within the BJP family. It is from this thought process that there are very strong undercurrents that the MGP may merge with the BJP, to enable the ruling party to have Dhavlikar as a caretaker in charge, if CM Parrikar’s treatment and recovery takes longer.
In fact he met allies and independents to ensure that the coalition remains firm and united and protects itself against any fissures which the waiting Congress may try to capitalise on.
But the real test of this government will be how it manages to deliver governance without Mr Parrikar’s physical presence. And the examinees in this exam, more than the political leadership, are officers at the helm of affair.
