From the time when every constituency in Salcete had a cabinet minister, the people of Xaxti have to do with one minister or power centre. After DigambarKamat, led a government of heavyweights and yet managed to get hordes of visitors at his tiny Malbhat residence it was left independent minister Avertano Furtado to be the “government” in Salcete during the Parrikar/ Parsekar term. With the BJP aligned independent ‘boys’ losing in the last elections and wihtnthe congress failing to be in power, TCP minister VijaiSardesai’s office is the virtual seat of government South of the Zuari
“In Salcete it’s clearly a VijaiSardessai government alone with him being the only minister from Salcete and the entire South Goa queues up on Tuesday’s at the South Goa Collectorate to meet him and it’s the same on Thursday when he exclusively meets Fatorda residents on Thursday’s at his residence,” explains Cajetan Barreto from Navelim.
Cajetan reminds us how once upon a time the cabinet was full of Xaxtikars. Francisco Sardinha, LuizinhoFaleiro, Joaquim Alemao, AleixoSequeira, Mickky Pacheco and Filipe Neri Rodrigues as MLAs to raise queries and get files moving and then there was Digambar Kamat as Chief Minister and Churchill Alemao as PWD minister.
“I worked on people’s sentiments of incumbency and non-performance and aspects of communalism of the BJP government and with my ideals of Goemkarponn, I was able to win and drub the BJP in the last polls. After that I clearly have stated that this was a positive compromise with the BJP to be in the government only because I had no intentions of doing business with the Congress party and its leaders and secondly only to push my promises and works under this government,” explains VijaiSardessai.
Danit Naik explains to us how he voted the GFP as he was helpless due to the nonperformance of the BJP MLAs and ministers in the last polls and he was disappointed to see Vijai tie up with the BJP but he says that he’s glad that everything is in place now. The government’s withdrawal of the Velim case which saved careers of youngsters stuck in court, has bene a high talking amount among Velimkars
Goa Forward’s work is pretty much cut out now. The flip side of being recognized as the government, means that there is no room for the party to distance itself from any issue or decision taken by the BJP. Though it is an ally, Goa Forward is now seen as an intrinsic part of the BJP dispensation. Going Forward, it needs to take its theme of Goenkarpon without quite the luxury of the keeping a distance from the BJP in issues that matter.
Controversy over making PDA’s the nerve centre of development in semi urban or rural areas and the creation of the Greater Panjin PDA to accommodate his old time friend BabushMonseratte, has forced the Goa Forward to rethink and find a way out this distinct zone of discomfort
Goenkarpon and good governance may be the leitmotif of the Goa Forward party but it’s a double edged sword in the party’s scabbard.
