PANJIM: Maybe you cannot call it unrest. But you can certainly see a sense of disquiet, allied with a sense of “We are on top of the world, but still why are we not getting our way?” feeling among the BJP rank, file, supporters and well wishers.
The BJP workers in many parts of the State are not very happy with the top party echelon and this came out in the way complaints were aired on the day of the workers meeting with the top leadership. In fact, it was probably for the first time that the chief minister was questioned about his lack of access to workers, forcing the chief minister himself to tell them that there would be a mechanism in place for meetings of all levels of the party.
Leaders and insiders feel that that when the party was in opposition, the top leaders were directly and regularly accessible to a common worker. But now that the party has come to power, the schedules are so tight that they are forced to go through the party office bearers.
The party President Vinay Tendulkar, when asked about the call by certain section to delink itself from the MGP, had expressed his opinion that perhaps it could be because the party workers are feeling neglected and the MGP is not doing its work.
However, insiders say that there is a sense of disquiet where workers are feeling that the MGP is not helping in the agenda of the government but instead just trying to strengthen its base and getting ready for the next assembly elections.
According to another party leader, MLA Vishnu Wagh even among MLAs their passage of two and a half years was not a very comfortable one. “We have to answer a lot of questions to the people. We had promised the sun and the moon,” he said, but conceded that suddenly problems arose “But then there were some hardships. These unforeseen hardships forced the state to take two steps backward (referring to the mining closure),” he argued, adding that though the party had given out doles it was not enough.
“We may have given some doles. But still people are not happy. We had promised then a lot of development,” he said. “People ask us what have you done in two and half years? It becomes difficult for us to point to achievements of some other minister of the government when the MLAs do not have their own achievements.”
A lot of the BJP supporters too are not happy with the top BJP leadership – according to them – condoning the corruption that is still prevalent in the state – albeit not so openly as during the Congress regime.
Many are openly expressing their disquiet at the way the government machinery including the enforcing arms of the government and the party itself are working even as the chief minister – the realpolitik politician that he is – is busy working out a strategy as the party girdles itself to begin the campaign for the assembly elections scheduled a little over two years ago.
