Goa’s “politrics” has descended very low. Power-hungry politicians have no respect for the people. But people also have no respect for themselves, blithely believing politicians’ lies and remorselessly swallowing the offered vitamin M. This explains the repeated return to power of politicians mired in non-performance, corruption and worse.
Let’s take a look at the recent elections in Goa. Fate forced the bypolls in the two constituencies of Mapusa and Panjim. But it is the BJP that foisted the by-polls on the people in the other two constituencies of Mandrem and Shiroda. Reason: The BJP desperately wanted the numbers to cling on to power.
The huge cost to the exchequer, the disruption in service delivery to the citizen due to mobilisation of government servants on election duty and the brakes on development due to the code of conduct are some ill effects of elections. But power is the heady aphrodisiac that drives the politician to screw the citizen through forced elections, etc.
The BJP brazenly poached opposition MLAs. So Subhash Shirodkar (Shiroda), a longtime Congressman turned saffron overnight and fought on the Lotus symbol. Dayanand Sopte (Mandrem) was first elected on the BJP ticket in 2007 from Pernem. When Pernem was declared a scheduled constituency in 2012, he migrated to Mandrem, became a Congressman but lost to the BJP’s Laxmikant Parsekar.
In the 2017Assembly elections, still in Congress, he toppled Parsekar, then Goa’s chief minister. Sopte was a Congressman until he went on that “business trip” to Delhi in October 2018 and returned saffron once again. He was the BJP candidate in Mandrem bypoll now.
Alas! The Congress has nothing new to offer; they simply embraced BJP rejects. After former Mapusa MLA Francis D’Souza passed away, the Congress wooed his son Joshua, who kept them dangling. When Joshua accepted the BJP ticket, the Congress embraced Sudhir Kandolkar. Now Kandolkar was a BJP loyalist for over 25 years and was BJP probable-candidate. But the Congress had absolutely no qualms in declaring him candidate mere three days after he was rejected by the BJP.
Ditto in Shiroda. BJP refused its ticket to their former minister Mahadev Naik. The Congress ignored their Shiroda Congress block, their loyalty and gave the ticket to Naik.
What does this mean? That chameleon-like politicians can simply change colours at will and go to the people asking for votes? Does it mean that voters can be fooled, or bought, with a simple mixture of lies and Vitamin M? That politicians have become so arrogant – and people so greedy – that integrity and ideology no longer matter?
Does it also reveal that leaders of both Goa’s main political parties have systematically refused to groom second-rung leaders and will play ball with a few politicians, expert in the art of managing vote banks?
Sunil Sawkar, Shiroda Congress block president and Congressman since 1989 (30 years) has some insights to offer. He did not propose Mahadev Naik’s name as Congress candidate and party workers were against him because for the 10 years Naik was in BJP, he harassed Congress workers; Congress in Goa do not want second-rung leadership and in Shiroda, only two leaders Subhash Shirodkar and Mahadev Naik have dominated for last 28 years; Delhi politicians are “far behind Goan politicians,” who work on “setting”.
Girish Chodankar, Congress state president explained the choice of candidates thus. “Candidate mel’le na (we did not find right candidates). We were after Joshua but he ditched us (in Mapusa). Last time, we had fielded Congressman Vijay Bhike but he got only 3000 votes.”
Chodankar agreed that the party had not groomed second-rung leaders, excused himself saying that he had taken over only 4 months back and said he needs more time.
In Mandrem, the Congress settled for loyalist Babi Bagkar. But Congress sources said Bagkar was confirmed only after Laximikant Parsekar refused the Congress ticket.
The helpless condition of Goa Congress is also evident by their awarding the ticket for the Panjim by-election to Atanasio “Babush” Monserrate – a man who has repeatedly humiliated Congress in the past. On March 11, 2015, the Congress had expelled Babush, then the Congress St Cruz MLA, for six years for anti-party activities.
On May 15, 2007, Babush had ditched the Congress at the last minute on the last day of filing nominations for the Assembly elections. That had left the Congress without a candidate in Taleigao and utterly humiliated. But on June 21, 2010, the Congress re-inducted Babush – then unattached Taleigao MLA and education minister into the party.
Apparently, Congress leaders are too busy securing themselves and have no time for party building. Hobbled by deficiency of alternate leaders, Congress is forced to bow to the whimsy of mavericks and languish in their self-inflicted brand of Aya-Babush-Gaya-Babush politics.
As for the BJP, a hurt Parsekar refused to campaign for his party’s candidate, Sopte. That highlights the morale of loyalists and party workers in both parties. But who cares? Concerned neither for loyalty of their own, nor for respect from the electorate, politicians’ vision is blurred by short-term gains of immediate power!
If seizing power calls for “jumla” politics, no sweat. This journalist recalls with amusement the utter bafflement of Goa’s senior-most politician Pratapsing Rane, at a presser a few years back. Grilled by the media, Rane suddenly blurted out, “We never promised the people, the sun, moon and stars like they do now.”
Celestial illusions are only part of the trick. The other part is recounted in a story by former politician Dr Wilfred Mesquita. He was campaigning for a politician friend in Navelim some years back. As they were departing the house of a landlord, the man furtively beckoned Dr Mesquita and whispered, “Arre, you guys are giving to everyone. Give us also, naah?”
Politicians will always seek to lie and buy. Until people learn to hold their heads high, they will never get the change they seek.
