As elections near, Central Observers visits increase, along with competition of ticket aspirants. The latest is Karnataka’s Dinesh Gundu Rao. Rao inherited an almost extinct legacy, thanks to ‘The Goa Congress Godfather Club’ (GCGC). Whilst the party should be high on youth power, the GCGC has selfish bullies. ‘Leader of Opposition (LOO)’, Digambar Kamat has groomed no successor even in the winter of his political career. His stands for Goa are perceived as tokenism, and as Kamat and Co lip serviced recent agitations, (despite similar violations in Margao), his take on Madhei smacks of betrayal.
The Congress refusal to take on BJP on oxygen deaths is suspect, but then, presence of the BJP Health Minister’s father in GCGC, quells challenge and frustrates younger cadre. The Congress with blood in BJP cannot stand for Goa. At a crossroads, Congress cannot face the polls and faces further rout, but amidst confusion, a flamboyant Rao, flagged off dal, chawal, atta, teil caravans, taking weak pot-shots at BJP. Rao failed in his Goa connect, and is late to 2022.
Rao’s promises to scrap controversial projects providing no alternatives or how he would tackle healthcare, infrastructure, public transport, electricity, jobs and fuel prices fall short. If Rao be believed, leave alone government formation, the ghosts of 2017 have to be erased wherein despite securing single largest party status and a willing Goa Forward with three seats, they let in BJP. Surely, Rao is desperate to win Goans’ emotions, prompted by ticket aspirants. It can backfire badly.
That Goa Congress has failed and couldn’t convert single largest party status, is thanks to Digvijai Singh, Luizinho Faleiro and Kamat is an open fact, however, they will act to pretend, knowing well the truth and personal benefits of that sabotage.
When Goa is ‘cheated’ by Karnataka, D Gundu Rao was very much party to the resolution on Mhadei. There is no record of Rao opposing the unanimous resolution or questioning the Karnataka government to consider Goa’s water welfare when he is in charge of Goa. This will be devastating for Goa, but the GCGC are old foxes who have hunted well for their offspring, have no concern for Goa’s generation next and their kin can migrate.
While in Karnataka, Rao protects the interests of his State over the needs of Goa which his home State is throttling. How can Karnataka’s Rao, make statements for Goans? Why did Rao from Karnataka refuse to utter the word – Mhadei in Goa? How then can Rao tell Goans that, if elected to power, Congress will act? And seated on Rao’s dais were Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) Chief, Girish Chodankar, who in 2020 organised ‘Mhadei Zagor’, a mediocre pretence to oppose Karnataka on Mhadei.
With Central dictation the Goa BJP is willing to ally with Karnataka on Mhadei and Congress unwilling to act against it, it puts the diminishing Congress on the same page as a buoyant BJP gearing for Assembly 2022 sans any opposition but from regional Goa Forward and a surging Aam Aadmi Party from Delhi, desperately trying to fish their share of Goa’s political pie. So in this cauldron and zagor of the Congress, who is the loser?
In denial, Congress hallucinates on minority support, but like Goa’s shores, battered by Tauktae, the plunge of its 10 into BJP has had its impact reflected in Zilla and Municipal polls, even premier traditional regional – Maharashtra Gomantak Party (MGP) refuses a pre poll pact.
And in a monsoon of dissent, Rao’s silence is utter betrayal and with a callous approach on Mhadei, Goa’s thirst cannot be quenched. Ill Goans read in between the lines and wake up to the sounds of the Zagor?
