With about 120-odd days give or take few, left for the Assembly elections in Goa, the ruling party seeking a mandate to rule for the third consecutive time, seems to be riding on the confidence that there is no opposition to challenge its reach.
This feeling among them is understandable. Till, very recently, the Congress was supposedly the main opposition party. With no organisation and leadership, the Congress gives BJP the most comfort as it almost looks like a friendly fight. Those who are serious about taking on the BJP are exiting the party.
But since the end of its term the people of Goa would be expecting a report card with the party’s performance valued
At the end of five years, in any healthy democracy, citizens would naturally expect a transparent report card from the ruling party. The first installment of this report card should be whether promises and schemes made for the direct benefit of the people have been fulfilled.
This is also an opportunity for the ruling party to showcase its achievements and admit or clarify its failures. But there should be two conditions here. Absolute honesty and transparency. All data or information should be backed with specific data and links. This is important because, in the noise of statements, accusations and charges, people expect that the facts must present themselves.
Job and earning capacity
For the past five years, a full paper on job trends and wealth creation trends taking into account the impact of COVID must be presented, a transparent way would be to give details of appointments to fill vacancies due to retirements and resignations/new positions created.
Welfare schemes
At the end of its previous term in 2017, the BJP government stated that it spent Rs 373 crore on its Griha Aadhar scheme that provides a Rs 1500 monthly allowance to each housewife in the state.
Are payments to all Griha Aadhar beneficiaries up to date?
Now people would want not just the figure spent in this term, but the number of beneficiaries and confirmation of payments made in full to all beneficiaries up to the month of September. Ultimately the success of the scheme can be claimed only when the money reaches the bank account of those who are supposed to benefit
People would like to know if the elderly, widows and physically challenged are receiving their monthly allowance
Before the 2017 elections, the BJP government informed 1.35 lakh people had benefited under Dayanand Social Security Scheme (DSSS). Under the scheme, senior citizens, widows and physically challenged people are provided with a specific monthly allowance.
This time a more useful figure would be the number and schedule of payments month wise for the past four years.
Were Goa’s laadlis (beloved daughters) blessed with Lakshmi (wealth or money)
In 2017 the government said 40,000 girls had benefited from this and the state spent Rs 400 crore. Before the 2022 elections, the government must update its figure but also state how it took care to ensure that all the beneficiaries were genuine
Did the government clarify to the CAG, when it pointed out deficiencies?
The Comptroller and Auditor General’s report for 2017 has pointed out deficiencies in the Goa government’s implementation of the Dayanand Social Security Scheme (DSSS), the Griha Aadhar Scheme and the Laadli Laxmi Scheme.
The report tabled in the Assembly in 2018, stated that wrongful inclusion of beneficiaries in these schemes had resulted in losses to the state exchequer. If the government clarified or responded to this report, people would want its response should be made public
In addition, the figures of assistance for the mining-affected, flood-affected a well as those struck by the COVID pandemic should also be made available. It should also mention as people would like to know, how it has put money in the pockets of people by giving work and tenders to everyone because economic benefits should reach all corners of Goa and not be concentrated in the hands of the powerful few.
People are going into this election riding on a lot of personal distress and grief. The ruling party must put on the table how it has worked to ease these sufferings to the satisfaction of the people.
The BJP’s strategy seems to be to look at the needs of the lower economic strata in 2022
From some accounts, the party seems to be working on a strategy to look at a strata of society which would be far keener on bus ticket prices not rising than petrol rising. Or that section that is more interested in daily wage and labour based incomes being provided and not government jobs
Politically, it has been helped by wolves in sheep’s clothing. It is also a party that has done its PhD in keeping existing opposition parties under control
In democracy scrutiny from the opposition is important for the success of democracy. The opposition has failed in doing so. Apart from that, the ruling party has managed to control the opposition but keeping a record of all the skeletons in their closet. This strategy of “file control and management’ keeps the opposition on its toes and doesn’t allow it to do its main job of keeping the ruling party in check.
Divide the work: Focus on 32 seats, fight the Salcete seats by proxy
This has been BJPs strategy now for quite some time. It does its Salcete strategy of trying to win its eight seats of that taluka through its B parties. It’s a proxy battle they fight, not a straight one. The B parties indeed do a good job for them. It leaves the BJP to focus on the other 32 seats.
Some peoples groups turned political groups say they are fighting for Goa’s identity. Congratulations, but…
Either through strategy or chance, the BJP manages to almost neutralise people’s groups fighting against anti-people projects like coal expansion etc. These organisations fighting people’s causes state that they will fight for Goa’s identity. And their intentions may well be genuine.
But when these same organisations support and take the backing of B parties who are actually helping the ruling party, these bodies need to introspect if Goa’s identity can be protected in this manner.
And when their actions help the B parties who in turn help the ruling party, it’s a win-win for the ruling party. It serves the ruling party’s purpose, but does it serve the people’s purpose.
As elections approach, the people will be watching. And the ruling party needs to give its account to the people of Goa.
