In 2017, the Cong Delhi leaders ‘match-fixed’ to give Goa to BJP, now it can’t even fix itself

The Narendra Modi government has reached its halfway mark. But the Pramod Sawant government, which took over from the Parrikar government, formed by political manipulation is nearing the end of its term. With about eight months or just a little more left for the Assembly elections, the people of Goa are looking for a people’s government, and leadership that stands by them and delivers when they most need it.

Let us look back on the history of this government and how, for the people of Goa, this was a tale of missed opportunities. Congress got 17 seats. When the results came in, it was a natural conclusion that with the support of the independents and the Goa Forward Party the Congress-led government would be formed.  But the Goa Forward, unknown to the honest section of the Congress leadership, had other plans, which we will come to.

Even without the Goa Forward, Luizinho Faleiro was confident of getting 21 MLA and was on his way to Raj Bhavan to stake claim. Enroute he was, apparently, according to Congress sources, stopped by Digvijay Singh the Goa in-charge of AICC. Singh made him wait on the ground that more MLAs were likely to support the Congress. This, however, did not happen. That begs the question. Was the reason for stopping Faleiro genuine or was there a hidden agenda? Many in Congress say that ‘match-fixing’ happened with the BJP.

Faleiro has spoken of his frustration with several attempts to block his passage to Raj Bhavan both literally and figuratively. As Singh prevented Faleiro from staking claim quickly, this clearly allowed time for the BJP plan to get the already pre-planned Goa Forward deal signed and rope in the independents. 

Less than two months after Parrikar formed the government, Sonia Gandhi removed Singh from his post of AICC in charge of Goa, for literally handing over the government to the BJP. The new CM, Parrikar in his farewell speech as a Rajya Sabha member said, “My special thanks to honourable member Digvijaya Singh, who happened to be in Goa but did nothing so that I could form the government.”

While the truth will never be admitted on record, Goa knows that it was a night of long knives on March 13, 2017, (a day before Parrikar was sworn in) where the match was fixed against Congress by internal match-fixers.

Meanwhile, as we know now, Goa Forward founder and president Vijai Sardesai had almost prefixed an arrangement with the BJP for this exact possibility to unfold in case the BJP fell short and needed around five odd seats to cross the line. The BJP in this case was eight seats short of a majority securing only 13. With Goa Forward’s abject betrayal of the mandate, the independents who were fence-sitters also joined the ruling bandwagon like a flock. It is reliably learnt that some independent MLAs had two different letters of support to the Congress and the BJP and waited in the lobby of Cidade de Goa, where the political theatre unfolded. The identical letters supporting the BJP carried by the independents were all drafted in the office of a prominent legal eagle.

The betrayal by Goa Forward, the opportunistic politics of the independents and the black sheep within the Congress, pitchforked a mandate defying government of Parrikar, which had more Congress turncoats than real BJP MLAs, to power.

Vishwajit Rane took oath as Congress MLA and then fled, resigning in the process and diving into the BJP camp before the ink on his signature in the newly sworn in MLA’s register had dried. It was a sad end to GPCC President Luizinho Faleiro’s efforts to form a government. He was betrayed. 

Faleiro is no longer interested in the GPCC president’s post or to lead the party

He feels cheated and humiliated and above all betrayed. In one stroke the man who had led the Congress to power and was on the verge of forming a government was stopped. Not by the opposition but the manner in which his party handled the government formation exercise.

Faleiro was brought back by Sonia Gandhi to win Goa for the Congress, played the role of oxygen supplier and oxygen giver to a party that was in the ICU. He built the party, revived frontal organisations, got committees in place and most importantly, he made the people of Goa believe that Congress can win.

Then a section of the Congress headed by non-winnable baseless leaders initiated “Mission oust Luizinho” and declared that the Congress would form a government within 24 hours of Faleiro’s ouster. That remark has become a standing joke both within the party and outside. Since then Girish Chodankar has presided over and been responsible for the party’s downslide. He watched haplessly as a mercenary flock of 10 MLAs left the party. Chodankar jumped into contest everywhere. And he lost all. His excuse that Congress did not have candidates in Panjim and for the North Goa parliamentary seat speaks volumes of his inefficient leadership.

What is his leadership style? Simply to offer promises and tickets to all, irrespective of their credentials and in some cases, with no track record of good public life.

The Congress has no strength in its frontal organisations, it has a non-functioning executive committee, its politics is press conference and demonstration based. And it has a twice resigned president. Therefore, when its national leaders came to Goa recently and asked the Goa team to go to the villages and work, did they even know the state of their party. With under eight months left for the elections, is this the time to rebuild the party, or plan an election strategy? They spent 90 per cent of this five-year term finishing the party. How they assume that in the last stretch of about eight or nine months it will be rebuilt and battle-ready?

BJP: Full of self-goals, allowed anti-people projects, but CM Sawant has managed to steer the party that has no alternative leadership

Sawant took over from Parrikar at a time when the party was controlled by one man. Even as he was ailing, Parrikar’s handpicked officers ran the government signing each file. The Ministers had no power. Sawant had big shoes to fill and since the time he took over, he has managed to stabilise the party, ensure a full majority (by political means) with most of his term spent in handling the COVID crisis. But when it came to not allowing anti-people projects like the railway double-tracking and the highway expansion and the Tamnar power line, he should have blocked interference from the powers that be that were pushing these projects and not alienated his people. Now he faces his own people of Goa in Court. The committee appointed by the Apex Court had already called for the scrapping of the double-tracking project.

Meanwhile, in the battle for control over Mhadei waters, Goa has been defeated by Karnataka which holds the upper hand now though Goa fought a better case. Goa failed to do back-channel diplomacy to engage Karnataka and the Centre. This displayed Goa’s immaturity.

The failure to block Goa’s borders and insist on testing followed by farcical oxygen supply management meant many lives were lost. And losing a loved one due to perceived State negligence is beyond all hurts like the failure of a government scheme or lack of jobs of a failed economy.

Some efficient signs were witnessed though. The only other cheer during COVID times was the work done by the Power Department and the fire brigade in restoring power supply, clearing fallen trees with a team of young JEs working round the clock to get Goa back on track especially when there were so many patients on critical oxygen support.

AAP has a big opportunity provided it has a State leadership with vision and revamps its team

So where does the AAP stand in Goa’s politics? It is not a newcomer but surely a serious contender this time with some conditions. It needs a fresh dynamic team of doers. It also needs to look at its Delhi representatives in charge in Goa and build a team that speaks Goa’s language and displays a body language Goans are comfortable with. Most importantly the leadership in Goa needs vision and clear planning. Goans still need to review their choice of candidates and their positions on major issues. They still need to put themselves in the position of the first-choice party. The work done by Arvind Kejriwal in Delhi needs to be presented as the new Goa model.

Last time they gave seats to many newcomers and unknowns. Yes, there were some who fought the good fight like Cecille Rodrigues in Taleigao. It got a mere 6.2 per cent of the votes and even in Catholic-dominated constituencies like Cuncolim, its chief ministerial candidate Elvis Gomes came fourth. But AAP has to steer the path and stay on course and not allow the anti-BJP vote to split if it wants to win. That should be its vision.

The elections are literally upon us. But Goans must choose wisely. It can react to sops and monetary offerings any way they want, but this will be a life-changing election. They need to vote for the future of their children and decide what kind of a Goa they want.