It’s technically a big ship. When a party wins 17 out of 40 seats in a state assembly election it is expected to stride like a colossus on the battle field. The story of how the victorious political party allowed the ground to slip under its feet is too well known for Goans to be documented afresh, we are indeed witnessing a very sad story for the Congress. It now has 16 MLAs and is still the single largest party in the Assembly, but has found the ground having completely slipped from under its feet.
Leaders and MLAs view each other with suspicion, there’s an internal blame game, the distrust has increased after 4 MLA’s cross voted during the presidential election and then it got the biggest slap of them all when, after shamelessly courting former MLA Babush Monserrate, to help them form a government (if wishes were horses) it watched haplessly and Monserrate attached himself to Goa Forward instead of getting the Goa Forward to attach itself to the Congress.
So while the Congress drifts aimlessly, Goa is left virtually without an opposition.
The snub Congress project, kicked off with its Valpoi MLA Vishwajit Rane, walking out of the Assembly within minutes of being sworn in, to resign and join the BJP. Then Monserrate, who was supposed to be Congress Panjim candidate against Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, will now campaign for Parrikar.
Not only this, the grapevine has it that there are at least five more Congress MLAs who are sitting on the fence to resign and pitch for Goa Forward, as an option
This was amply clear after the President’s election when Congress candidate Meira Kumar got just 11 votes despite Congress having 16 MLAs while BJP’s Kovind got 25 votes.
Monserrate’s wife Jennifer, St Cruz MLA Tony Fernandes are the two prominent names which are expected to switch over.
The Congress, seems to have lost its touch completely with hard core grass root politics allowing Goa Forward Party, inspite of being in the ruling dispensation, to occupy some space the Congress is conceding.
Many of its own workers feel that the Congress, in fact, has insulted it voters, who gave them yet another opportunity to revamp itself and ensure that the mistakes are not repeated. (See adjoining story on reactions from parts of Salcete)
“The people of Goa, feel betrayed by the Congress party – who even after emerging as single largest party failed to form the government and now when the opportunity came knocking at its door in form of Monserrate, the party once looked silly,” said a party worker on condition of anonymity.
“Considering all these happenings, who is going to vote for Congress now or in future?” asked another dejected worker.
The party’s brand is irrevocably damaged and carries very little that is positive. There is no one to be blamed here except for the entire organizational set up, which merely presume things will fall in place but does precious little to see it happen.
As our ground reports in this package will reveal, the Congress is beginning to lose the faith of the people of Goa.
