Political pundits believe that the Conservative Party lost the election in Canada because of the niqab debate and the Syrian refugee crisis, while the Liberal Party won because the party supported both issues vis-a-vis Canada. Both issues blew in the strong Canadian political winds as the campaign for the elections rolled on. Hope won over fear.
In a sense the Niqab issue was a Muslim issue, and the Conservative Party’s idea of setting up a hotline to report “barbaric cultural practices” put paid to his hopes of ruling the country again. In this age of multi-culturalism, it’s not “politically correct” to utter extremist views. Now we have Donald Trump, who’s trying to win the Republican nomination for US presidency, fanning the fires of hatred against the minorities. Just as Harper got his support base, Trump too is looked upon as a sure winner by his supporters. By alienating the vast population of minorities in Canada has proved the failure of Conservatives’ political gamble.
When the BJP came to power, it obviously came on the rath yatra of Hindutva. The hard-core group in the party, along with the robust and aggressive wings of RSS and VHP, the BJP was able to canvass and win the majority of the people in a land that’s sharply divided on religious and geographical lines. The Congress rule of Manmohan Singh largely helped the rival BJP because of the numerous scandals and Manmohan’s under-performance. A recognized economist cannot function well by remaining silent for most of his time during his administration. The Congress took a stumble and fell hard on its face.
It brought Modi onto the centre-stage. His performance has been praised as well as mocked. His supporters call him a rockstar and his enemies call him arrogant. Between the two extremes, Modi has waned and waxed like the moon. He struck a good relationship with Harper, more because their personalities have similar traits. Modi too has succeeded in alienating the minorities with his high-handedness. The social climate is tense and there’s little chance of it letting up till the next elections. How the BJP fares in the remaining period is to be seen.
Modi must look at Harper and be worried. The tide may turn when the time comes to vote. India is undergoing a moral crisis, a crisis of identity. There’s a revolt from the intellectual class. Whatever Arun Jaitley may say, the intellectual class has woken up and this has shaken up the BJP. Some of the big names in academia, globally-recognized writers and authors and persons of eminence have spoken with a purposeful tone that what’s happening in India today can only spell disaster for the country. No doubt the ‘bakhts’ may take pot-shots at these people and support the BJP line that the revolt is ‘manufactured’, but the fact remains that the floodgates of anger and dissatisfaction have been opened.
Coming to the BJP in Goa, it seems that the civic elections have surely raised concern among the party faithful. Laxmikant Parsekar may have been locked in a power struggle with the power minister but he’s let the cat out of the bag over the “Special Status” issue. Selling false hope at election time and now saying that Special Status is nothing but a “mirage”, the BJP has exposed the vanity of its soul. It’s true that political parties do “spinning” at election time and promises made to the ear are broken to the heart after winning the election. The BJP has been famous for its “U-turn” and Parrikar earned the tag of Master of U-turns.
With its focus on the next election, the Congress has decided to woo the people by admitting its mistake in bring casinos to the Mandovi. So much water has flown down the river and so much money went into the pockets of then ruling Congressmen, that Luizinho Faleiro’s mea culpa should be taken with buckets of salt, if only the salt-pans from fields across the Mandovi had not disappeared. Will such an exercise help the Congress in winning the sympathy of the electorate? For me, it seems too little, too late. The Congress should try some other alternate routes to bring about the downfall of the BJP. Mere admittance of previous faults may not be enough for Goans to abandon the BJP.
Besides, the Congress itself is a house divided, much like some houses in Goa and the fields having divisions. The Congress needs to promote a united front in combating its rival. At least on one count, the score seems to have been even — with Churchill Alemao, of the Congress, and Francisco (Mickky) Pacheco, of the Goa Vikas Party, a partner of the BJP, out of jail. They will now resume their part in Goa’s political tiatr. How they play their political cards now is going to be another episode in their egomaniacal lifestyles. They make Salcette a fascinating playground for political football.
As for closing words, I wish to remind people in India that the Liberal government in Canada has appointed four ministers of Punjabi-origin. The new PM is the son of Pierre Trudeau who, as PM, relaxed immigration and also let thousands of Asians, including hundreds of Goans, after the Uganda expulsion. As an aside, let me also add that when asked about Khalistan, the late Indian PM Indira Gandhi remarked that Khalistan exists only in Canada. The Khalistan idea has almost died in Canada. Goans must now realize that the Special Status dream has died.
(Eugene Correia is a senior journalist)
