Acche din for party hoppers in Goa

Fence sitters, party hoppers are not new to Goa’s politics. Senior leaders have hopped in and out of party and still continue to be relevant in the State politics

Deepak Laad | NOVEMBER 17, 2018, 03:14 AM IST

Deepak Laad 

After the BJP was shellacked in the last Assembly election and sent reeling down to only thirteen seats, the then defence minister who visited the state on weekends to satiate his yearning for fish, was asked by his Delhi masters, to shift back to Goa with his bag and baggage for good to  cobble a coalition together with regional parties and helm it.  

Strangely, for the party that wears patriotism on its sleeves, defending its turf in Goa took priority over defence matters of the nation. The party with a difference should have bowed out graciously leaving it to the single largest party to try and form the government, as the mandate was clearly against it. But they proved that they were not different from the other power hungry lot and would go to any length with their political Machiavellian shenanigans to stay in power. 

Within hours of  declaration of the election results the BJP formed alliance with Goa Forward party (GFP), ironically whose main election plank was to throw the Saffron party out of power. The GFP boss had earlier described BJP as party of dalals -- commission agents -- out to sell Goa to outsiders. BJP had to swallow this insult and court GFP to fight their corner and GFP salivating at the prospect of getting cabinet berths to all its three elected candidates scampered in the BJP camp forgetting all about their poll promises -- to fight the divisive religious forces to uphold secular ethos and safeguarding Goaness etc.  

They too swallowed back the vitriol they had earlier spat out at the BJP. Sardesai, Paliencar, Salgaonkar who had fought the BJP candidates bitterly in their respective constituencies and had vanquished the stalwarts -- some of them ministers in earlier regime -- were to take their places in the ministry led by the same Saffron party they loathed. All the BJP heavyweights who had bitten dust in the electoral debacle watched this unfolding drama without even a slight murmur of protest -- may be they were too stunned to react because of the mauling they had faced. This was the  beginning of the theatre of the absurd and more such amoral acts were expected to be played out in the near future.  

It was clear from the word go that the Congress though placed in better position than the BJP wouldn’t be able to form the Government due to the internecine wars among their old fossils who had been chief ministers at different times. Not one of them came forward to take initiative to  attempt to form Government showing magnanimity to project someone other than himself to the post of the CM.   

After forming the Government it was expected that the BJP would move on to decimate Congress by luring their MLAs away to their fold, to pre-empt any possible plans of poaching from Congress’ side. Parsekar who is now fuming and fretting should have foreseen this coming to his door too, he being a seasoned player who has dabbled in state politics for more than three decades. Maybe he was overconfident thinking his party would spare him from such awkward predicament respecting his position and seniority. If his party could retire their founder leader Advani and other senior leaders systematically and dispatch them to ‘the Margdarshak Mandal’, an euphemism for political old age home, to play advisory role, there is no reason why they would treat him deferentially for being founder member of the party in a minuscule state that has 13 members in assembly and sends two MPs to the centre.  

Now we are surprised that he is surprised at the fact that the core committee of the party is not being consulted and decisions are being taken by the state party president singularly, alluding they came from central leadership. The former defence minister who visited the state on weekends when Parsekar was the CM, outwardly to relish fish, was seen meddling in the state issues, which were no concern of his. Parsekar has witnessed this oligarchical management style of state and central leadership of his party from close quarters but has chosen to question it only now when he is at the receiving end.  

Fence sitters, party hoppers are not new in political arena in Goa. There are senior leaders who have hopped in and out of party once, twice or multiple times and have continued to be relevant in the state politics, ‘forgiven’ by their supporters each time. Digambar Kamat found himself suffocating in the BJP and then started breathing normally once he joined Congress. The CM chair provided him oxygen aplenty.   

‘Development’ is a new excuse Modi has provided to switchers coming to the BJP fold. The switchers joining the BJP see ‘acche din’ for them and their workers.  

Party workers, these days, flock to one who is in power, unconcerned whether he/she is their ‘original’ or lately ‘adopted’, as long as their ‘development’ is facilitated and ‘employment’ generated for their children and near ones.  

Both Shirodkar and Sopte had told us that they were going on ‘business’ trip to Delhi. And what a trip that was! They clinched hell of a business deal in hours, each ending up securing a chairmanship of ‘earning’ corporation. MLAs bartering their allegiance for lucrative chairmanships of corporations are treated honourably, though the unholy transactions are outright corrupt acts. The present day political scenario in the state is also hilariously absurd.  

Congressmen in the state look baffled, because BJP’s own disgruntled leaders have snatched away their role and are doing better than them in slamming and slandering their own party ministers and leaders. BJP’s loyal, obedient MLAs look perplexed too. Though the government is headed by  

their own party, irony is those who were their enemies in the electoral battle are enjoying the fruits of power as they themselves are made to watch from the side-lines. During a recently held programme at Pernem by Ayush ministry the once bitter rival Babu Ajgaonkar and Sopte were seen sharing the dais. Both, Congressmen in the past, were seen in the company of the Union Ayush minister and the one absent from the scene was their own -- Parsekar, local ex-MLA and ex-CM. True, in politics there are no permanent friends or foes.  

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