As Assembly session in Goa begins today, the BJP-led government emerges to be much stronger than in the last session, with the total number of MLAs growing from 17 to 27. Ironically, in the last Assembly elections, which was held in February 2017, BJP had 13 MLAs while Congress had won 17 seats in the 40-member Assembly. Thanks to the “Aaya Raam Gaya Raam” (ARGR) politics – a fiefdom of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar politics in yesteryears, coupled with Congress decimation at the Centre, the virus has now spread all across India soon after the formation of the new government at the Centre. In neighbouring Karnataka, the Assembly today will see a different kind of politics where the JD(S)-Congress government is facing an existential crisis.
However, the electorate who feels cheated on their right to franchise has seen all these movements from their representatives post elections for several decades. The ARGR politics are a good quick-fix arrangement for political parties to ensure government stability but it has not paid off well when the MLAs or MPs go back to their respective constituencies. All have witnessed the fate of several MPs post the period where the coalition politics had brought-in at least three “surprise” Prime Ministers at the Centre – Inder Kumar Gujral, HD Deve Gowda and Chandrashekhar. The aftermath primarily happened as the development works and governance due to instability took a backseat while politics took away the prime time.
Similarly, the 10 MLAs who defected from the Congress last week and few others who had joined the BJP earlier are on tenterhooks as they will have to prove to their electorate who had elected them on Congress tickets, what they delivered to them since February 2017. Time is ticking and 2022 is not too far when all MLAs in Goa will have to go back to the electorate and with the changing political scenario, the “memories of electorate are short” may not be a phrase for the comfort of these candidates who took a unilateral decision by betraying the franchise.
The options now left are the deliverables and that too within a stipulated time frame of two years. Soon after the mining ban in the State, jobs and livelihood have become the most talked about issue and people who are in peril and are directly affected by it, will remember for alternatives and job opportunities created by the State government since 2012 when former Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar had announced “all mining is being banned from tomorrow”. The mining ban has led to at least 25-30 per cent revenue loss to the State and new job opportunities have not been created since then even if the hype in information technology and start-up sector.
What Goa today has is, is an IT-Startup Policy but those who needed to be benefitting from it, are still struggling to achieve it and they are in total disarray and disillusionment on what will happen with the “new” arrangements. Inordinate and uncalled delays in action with no focus have led this to this nervousness. Similarly, the Solar Policy is yet to see the light of the day and the State which hardly produces the power to its needs today faces power shortages and frequent power cuts. Industrial Policy is supposed to be drafted after the present Industry minister gets the feedback and data from stakeholders. The list is long and almost unending.
With almost two-third majority in Assembly, primarily to bring in more stability, governance and deliverables should be easier than before. Or should one be happy that this year IFFI would pay tribute to our former Chief Minister Parrikar? Ironically, the new opposition which was in the government barely 48-hours ago will find it extremely difficult to ask any pertinent questions to the ruling party on the floor of the Assembly. What Goa would need is job opportunities with a clean environment, clean system of governance, clean surroundings and better deliverables than just political hobnobbing and talks. Will it be a fresh start from today or will it be a continuation from March 2017, is the million dollar question which the electorate in Goa would like to know. Deliverables will matter.
