By Irfan Iqbal Gheta
Pernem – a bustling town – is a jewel in the crown of North Goa. It has recently managed to keep itself in the news thanks to a public outburst from the ex-MLA who, like a jilted lover, keeps lamenting the fact that his party bosses replaced him with a young face in 2022.
He still fancies his chances in 2027 and is gearing up to throw his hat into the electoral ring. He is confident of a landslide victory and a dream comeback.
Now, when the ego is at stake, there are bound to be some unsubstantiated and unverified allegations to create that halo around. Bring a seasoned player, the ex-MLA set a cat amongst the pigeons by raking up the “Drug Menace” in the incumbent MLA’s constituency with a rise in the number of crimes.
The incumbent MLA sat up and threw a counter punch. He gave back as good as he got. To leave a lasting impact, he went one step further. He alleged that one of his predecessors’ family members was involved in narcotics dealings.
This set the alarm bells ringing in the corridors of the party office to which these two gentlemen – आदरणीय मनीस – whose last names begin with A, swear allegiance. The state President got into a damage control mode. To protect the party’s reputation in the years leading up to the Goa Assembly Elections 2037, he issued a gag order.
– No public airing of grievances.
– No controversial statements to the media without consulting the party bosses.
– No allegations and counter allegations against own current or ex-colleagues.
– If some colleagues are found to be involved in illegal activities, approach CM and seniors in the party with evidence that can withstand legal scrutiny.
– The icing on the cake is, “Follow the party ideology. Forget the ex-party’s ideology. Discipline is everything in this party. There is zero tolerance for those who defy discipline”.
These guidelines are for the party members, office bearers and elected representatives whose ambitions may sometimes force them to point fingers at others.
But what about overzealous supporters? Are there any guidelines in place for them? Are they bound by those guidelines? The less said about it, the better.
No sooner had the freshly minted party president thought that he had successfully averted a major crisis than came the news that the incumbent MLA’s supporters had managed to put together what looked like an effigy of the ex-MLA and set it afire.
This protest of burning a comical effigy did not dampen the spirits of A, who thundered, “Come 2027, I will be back with a bang”.
In 2025, who burns effigies? Isn’t this method of protest out of fashion? Be that as it may, A’s popularity has received a fresh lease of life. There is no bad publicity. Any publicity is good publicity. The fight in Goa’s picturesque Pernem has just begun. It is going to be a long and interesting one.
