The long assumed primacy of Indian National Congress as the traditional BJP fighter both at the State and at the national level stands utterly diminished in the wake of its continuing leadership crises, lack of coherent strategy and the moral inadequacy of its State leaders which have led to rampant disillusionment among party workers resulting in massive erosion of its leaders to, among others, the very party they have ideologically sworn to oppose – the BJP.
It is now beyond reasonable doubt that the Goa Congress, with its rudderless organisation and the practice of ‘untouchability’ towards other parties, is well on their way to self-destruction.
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With the Congress a ridiculous spent force, the onus of fighting the BJP is in the people’s hands, and going by the proof of the past, it’s reassuring that Goans have not always chosen Congress as the default recipient of the anti-BJP votes, and have voted for the ‘aura of the individual’ to defeat the BJP.
The role of individual strong leaders in politics is perhaps the most crucial aspect of Indian politics, and Goans have repeatedly favoured people over party, clearly in the larger interest of the State.
Now with the All India Trinamool Congress, with its firebrand street fighter Mamata Banerjee, its impeccable anti-BJP credentials and with the formidable political management outfit I-PAC at their disposal, the question of which one would be the real Congress equipped to fight the BJP and possibly win the battle is on the table waiting to be settled.
Can a combination of the ‘aura of the individual’ and the resources that AITC brings to the table be the solution the people of Goa so anxiously wait for?
Let’s take the man perhaps with the biggest strong man aura: the Goa Forward Party president Vijai Sardesai, who has pulled out all stops since his exit from the current regime to expose the BJP repeatedly and regain the image of a powerful anti-BJP leader. But how well is GFP equipped as a small outfit to take on the might of the BJP across Goa? How many seats will they able to contest? Let’s face it, GFP going alone in this contest will never be a sustainable solution, and despite being perhaps Goa’s most desired leader, Vijai Sardesai would never be in a position to do anything with a few MLAs.
Perhaps the best way to beat the BJP comprehensively is to make this election a two-party contest.The scourge of defection is the bane of Goan politics and the buying off MLAs is BJP’s core election strategy. The only way to deter this to the full satisfaction of the people is to create a new formation, a new force, a new entity with all sincere anti-BJP parties who ideologically will never cross over.
The political situation demands that small regional parties in Goa think out of the box. They should see the best possible way to increase their chances of defeating the BJP by embracing the resources that credible anti-BJP parties bigger than them can offer. They should understand that their ideological survival is more important than their organisational survival.
