In an earlier column, I had suggested that Congress gets itself a rainmaker. The fortunes of the party doesn’t look bright and unless there’s a sea change in the top ladder of the party, things won’t look up till the party is ready for the next assembly elections. The Congress in power was a disaster with corruption taking a leap. The result of mismanagement and misrule was the dumping of the government. The people spoke through their vote. It was a bitter lesson for the Congress.
In the fitness of things, the result of the election made the High Command think hard on the future course of the party in Goa. The party was tearing itself over factionalism and infighting. A clean sweep was needed. However, to get the old guard out of the way it needed strong-arm tactics and resolute maneuvering. The Congress was doing nothing meaningful both in government and party work. It was, in fact, self-destructing itself.
In stepped former Rajya Sabha MP John Fernandes, whose presence in Delhi was not very commendable but he stayed as a silent and calm face. Some saw him as a breath of fresh air and some saw him as an intruder, a new prowler-broker.
It was too short a period to judge him totally but in the time he held the reins of the party he did step on the toes of veterans and the veritable Congressmen. The persons he rubbed the wrong way have been the pillars of the Congress. They are the wind behind the Congress, at least that was what they assume they are. Maybe, they command a big influence and are seen as power-centres. For John Fernandes to take them on and come out without a scratch was mission impossible. But John seemed brave, and it’s open to debate if his act of suspending units of the party and also putting the seasoned politicians on notice.
Unfortunately, some of the targeted Congress also have a measurable influence in the BJP. One hardly knows who is friend or foe in the political makeup of the state. They may fire salvos at each other at one time and may be in arms of each other at other times. John obviously wasn’t a master at this game but that doesn’t mean he was unaware of backroom dealings. He has been in politics long enough to know the tricks of the trade but he isn’t apt at this trade.
He created enemies for himself, from the Ranes to the Alemaos and some in between. The ground beneath him seemed shaky. But he stood his ground as mixed media reports either put him on the hot seat or unseated him.
Whatever promoted Sonia Gandhi to give John the sack and bring in former chief minister and one of the general secretaries of the all-India party, Luizinho Faleiro, into the vibrating chair is not know openly. But seems the axis of friendships built over the years in Goan politics helped Faleiro to come back with a big bang at the state level.
To me, Faleiro isn’t the rainmaker I had in mind. He’s been an old hand and is quite versatile in playing power politics. With him, it seems the tested leadership has got a new lease of life. It may be a difficult task for Faleiro and those he would choose to bring the Congress back into the reckoning. Yeah, people’s memory is short and the voters may or may not forgive the Congress when they line up to vote the next time. It needs to be seen how Faleiro plays his cards with his cumpar Churchill Alemao and how he manipulates Salcette in the see-saw of Goan politics.
One thing for sure, Faleiro bears some tainted marks. He’s not known as a squeaky clean politician. It may seem that the old is new again. When it looked like Faleiro had given up Goa and he himself said that he’s more interested in helping the party at the all-India level, he’s back at home base. Such is the nature of politics. Politicians, like soldiers, never die.
As the political scenario unfolds for Congress, it’s going to be wait-and-see game. John Fernandes has already set the ball rolling with his rapid-fire attacks against the party. We can expect BJP to be laughing on the sidelines. True, Congress is in a flux and it’s definitely laughing matter. Will Faleiro turn the tide for the Congress? My bet is on.
(Eugene Correia is a senior journalist.)
