When the first politician was arrested in the JICA bribery case, the public reaction as heard in the village market places across Goa was “Pulisen khub tempan borem kam kelem. Boro uddoilo bhitor”. When the stage was all set for the second and bigger political arrest, the mood of the same public was upbeat and excited voices across Goa were triumphantly declaring “Hankam oxench favo. Sogle poddonk zai bhitor. Goa chorun khabar kelem”. These comments reflected the disgust of the general public towards the political class. But the day the anticipatory bail of the second politician was upheld, the mood of the people turned to consternation. The same refrain was everywhere “Olhiak sodlai ani dhakliak bhitor gatlai? Kiteak? Takai babdeak sodai”. A wave of sympathy swept across Goa (especially Salcete) for the arrested politico. The same people, who had felt that he had been rightly arrested, felt that the law had not judged fairly when dealing with another almost ditto case. After all, justice must not only be done, but must appear to have been done. We hear that the Crime Branch has done a thorough job in this case. If so, where did the discrepancy in judgements come in?
This sympathy can do wonders to the sagging political fortunes of the arrested politico. Going by the results of the last Assembly and Lok Sabha elections, it appears that his political future is at its nadir. The longer he remains in custody and the other outside, the more sympathy he stands to gain. Just as a ploy, he could direct his legal reps to go all out to ensure that he remains in and continues to play martyr. This will surely give a boost and lift to his political future.
The grapevine has it that the second politico will never be arrested. No other serious cases of misappropriation, fraud, amassing wealth way above the known sources of income and kickbacks, will ever be seriously be taken up by any dispensation, and all the guilty will be free wealthy men. Only slapping a government servant will be treated seriously.
