Maha cracks in the gatbandhan

It fizzled out as suddenly as it emerged on the scene. The much-publicised grand alliance of non-BJP forces got the thumbs up from political analysts but the birth pangs were so great that it died even before it could take a few breaths of life. Seniority issues, ego problems, attitudes and the non-loyalist approach of a few MLAs indicate that in the coming election opposition unity may not happen, giving the Bharatiya Janata Party a better chance at the hustings.

For the first time in the last four years – the Congress’s Vishwajit Rane, Digambar Kamat and Alexio Reginaldo Lourenco, Independent MLAs Vijai Sardesai, Rohan Khaunte and Naresh Sawal and Unattached MLA Atanasio Monserrate – came together. Their aim was to corner the saffron party on the floor of the House during the Budget session of the Assembly. Though, in a joint press conference all the leaders (Kamat was the only one missing) displayed their ‘togetherness’, their body language spoke otherwise.

“It is high time like-minded leaders, who want to oust BJP from power come together and work. Keeping our personal interests and conflicts aside, we all need to join hands against the BJP. This is the need of the hour,” former Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Kamat said. 

For a day, the first day of the Session, the opposition succeeded in their plan and even paralysed the proceedings of the House, when they took up the issue of the alleged beach cleaning fraud which Khaunte had opted to take up as a common question. The opposition MLAs entered the well of the House and created a ruckus, but what went unnoticed was the absence of Atanasio Monserrate.

Though, his wife, Taleigao MLA Jennifer, stood along with the other non-BJP MLAs in the well of House, her husband opted to play a different route and preferred to move out of the House rather than to be part of the chaos. The Speaker had to adjourn the proceedings twice due to the ruckus but each time the proceedings recommenced, and the opposition continued its battle, the St Cruz MLA walked out. 

It was here that the grand alliance developed its first crack. “I was part of the proceedings. I did not go to the Well of the House as there were enough people protesting. And I don’t like the way the proceedings were disturbed,” Atanasio Monserrate told Herald.

It took many by surprise when Monserrate became part of that grand alliance, considering his closeness with Union Defence Minister and senior BJP leader Manohar Parrikar. The unattached MLA, is known for seeking power and in the past has switched sides as per his requirement.

As the five-day session progressed, the dissidence within the grand alliance became quite evident with the Congress and Independent MLAs signing different tunes. Even during the session, Sardesai in an informal chat with the media, claimed that ‘Congress played spoil spot’. 

It started when Leader of Opposition Pratapsingh Rane spoke a different language, despite reportedly giving his consent to fight issues in the Assembly as a united opposition. 

On March 14, Rane’s question was slotted first and he had option of choosing to ask between the Medium of Instruction policy, Mopa International Airport and payments due by the Housing Board. To the opposition’s surprise he opted for the question on the Housing Board, a question which even media persons didn’t think appropriate enough to devote too much space on the newspapers the next day. 

The very next day, the third day of the session, the Independent MLAs disappointment reached a peak, when their clubbed question on the alleged corruption in Lusofonia Games, listed fifth in the list, could not come up as the leader of the Opposition shifted his question on Mayem to the sunset clause of Mundkar Act. Rane dragged the question for nearly 45 minutes, discussing the old Mundkar Act polices on the Floor of the House. Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar grabbed this opportunity and started giving lengthy replies about the Mundkar Act, unlike his normal stand of not going beyond the ambit of the question and replying to unrelated supplementary questions.

“The MLAs failed to train Rane. Being the senior most leader, Rane would have not listened to anyone. It is fact known to all that he has a close bond with the saffron party leaders. The Congress high command needs to seriously think about changing the leader of the opposition, at this stage,” a senior Congress leader, requesting anonymity, told Herald.  

It was Sardesai, who had taken the initiative not only of mobilising the opposition MLAs but also asking some key questions together, so that they get an upper slot in the list of questions and so anybody from among the clubbed members could opt for the key question.

After the father, junior Rane played spoilsport for the grand alliance. Assembly records show that the third day started with Vishwajit, who had two individual questions and the third one was on the coconut issue, where his name was first in the list.

Instead of opting for the third question on the coconut tree issue, which the opposition had made a state-wide issue, Vishwajit asked his first question on State funds, due to which the coconut question could not come up for discussion. It was something that irked Sardesai, Khaunte and Lourenco, who had been in the forefront raising their voice against the government move to declassify he coconut tree from the purview of ‘tree’.

As per the Assembly rules, a member has to opt for one of the questions listed in his name, after which another member gets a chance to ask a question and the members clubbed together also lose the chance of asking that question.

Sardesai said he is not charging anybody in particular but the behaviour of abandoning the common question provided enough ground to suspect that the intention behind this was very clear. “There was clear setting. Everything was pre-planned. The ruling never targeted Congress but didn’t allow us to speak,” he charged.

The Congress’s complete silence on the floor of the House over the government’s failure to table the Economic Survey report before presenting the State Budget, further trigged off controversy of a ‘setting’. While in the House the Congress legislative wing distanced itself from the issue, outside the Congress Pradesh Committee was very vocal on this.

On the fourth and fifth day the opposition independent MLAs gave up the battle to take on the government, finding themselves on the backfoot. 

Post the session, Sardesai burst out in anger before the media. Without naming anyone, but clearly hinting at the Ranes, the MLA alleged ‘setting’. He, however, said he is willing to continue the concept of a grand alliance but with different faces.  

Trying to distance himself from Vishwajit and Monserrate, Sardessai is now looking at Congress MLAs Pandurang Madkaikar and Chandrakant Kavlekar for support. Kamat and Lourenco, both, favour the Mahagatbandhan.

Sardesai’s open allegations and attack did not go well with junior Rane who announced he would quit the Congress, if the party aligns with the Fatorda MLA.

The Ranes – father and son – apart from retaining their two seats – Valpoi and Poriem – can prove no benefit for Congress. Party sources themselves say that the Ranes have no charisma beyond these two constituencies. Also the recent hug that Vishwajit’s gave Monserrate over his win in the City Corporation election, has not gone well with the party loyalists.

The father and son jodi is not in sync with the Congress Pradesh Committee President Luizinho Faleiro, who is not in favour of giving a upper hand to the family raj politics.