The politics of Parrikar and the Catholics
He is easily one of the most erudite and vastly read senior citizens of Goa who has mapped the relationship of the Catholics with the political dispensation from the time of the opinion polls, through the language agitation and the more recent Medium of Instruction. And like many in Salcette, he sat in his book laden cottage, seeing the Catholics overwhelmingly vote against the Congress, returning a slew of independents.
For someone like him, the distancing of the Catholics from the BJP in 2014 isnt quite a reverse watershed moment because the watershed of 2012, was all but a mirage. It sought to serve the limited purpose of knocking the Congress out of power, which it did brutally.
The BJP, in the euphoric sweep of 2012, made a cardinal but completely understandable folly of seeing this as a watershed moment when the wall of deep mistrust with the Catholics had fallen with its debris scattered in the Zuari. The ruling BJP self endorsed support from the Council for Social Justice and Peace and other prominent Catholics associations, when in reality there was not a single equivocal endorsement from any of the bodies.
The relationship in the first two years of the Parrikar rule ranged from huge optimism to patience, to acceptance of his difficulties, to questioning, to scepticism and then peaked at frustration, spilling over to open criticism. While we have emphasised that this isn’t over by a long shot, what should be, even in perception, is that there is relationship of harmony between what is known as the “minority community” and the Parrikar ruled BJP. the harmony wasn’t religious, it was need based and when it is that, then the returns are asked for investment.
Relationships after all are a business and a businessman works on this, in a manner a dreamer never can. And one day the dreamer is called to account, to tell the businessman where his money is and the returns he will get, and if no answers are forthcoming, paths are found by the businessman to break the relationship, by convincing the dreamer that he is the breaker, not the businessman. Voters sometimes are the toughest businessmen and politicians gullible dreamers. 2014 will be, irrespective of the results, Parrikars emergence from a dream sequence and staring at promises that need fulfilling and targets that need achieving. That happens dear sir, when the marriage was never a culmination of a love affair, but arranged with a hope of clicking through “adjustments”, a sentiment on which India runs.
While the Governments decision on the Medium of Instruction, to give grants to English medium schools backed by the Church, was a good adjustment, it doesnt seem to be enough, according to voices that emanate from Salcette.
There is another reason for this and one will have to agree that Parrikar has got an unfair deal here. The larger purpose of dethroning the Congress has happened. It coming back to power in Goa is at least three years if not eight years away. (Another term after this). Going with the BJP, or even independent forces which support it, seems like a arduous baggage, especially when one of the most pro active things the new Chief Minister did was kick-start the Mopa airport project, which, for South Goans, was like showing a red cloth to a bull. The unfairness is that since the immediate objective was achieved in 2012, the community doesn’t feel the need to back him, especially- and this is vital- when this election is all about crowning Narendra Modi as Prime Minister. it doesn’t make business sense and this is something that Parrikar, who still is a dreamer, doesn’t get.
It is for the first time perhaps in recent history, that the people of Goa, especially South Goa-because that is where this socio-religious, political boardroom is- will be playing hard politics in a manner that an IIT educated Chief Minister can’t fathom.
