AERIAL VIEW
Needless to say, the Bharatiya Janata Party, which stole people’s mandate through the backdoor with their illicit affair with Goa Forward Party, MGP and the independents in 2017, is battling against the strong anti-
incumbency wave and if people’s mood can be judged, the BJP which had around 27 MLAs at the end of the term may find itself struggling to cross the double-digit.
But only if the people decide. It is for the people to vote in one voice. We saw what happened during the Zilla Parishad and Municipality polls. The BJP successfully split the votes, either through polarisation, sheer money power or by luring the youth with the government job carrot.
The BJP started with an engineering split in the Congress, first bringing in Vishwajit Rane, then Dayanand Sopte and Subash Shirodkar. Two years later, BJP led a major coup against Congress, splitting 10 of their MLAs to join their party and two from MGP.
Vijay Sardesai, Sudin Dhavalikar and independents paid the price of going against the people’s mandate in 2017 when they were unceremoniously dropped from Cabinet.
SURAJ NANDREKAR
Editor, Goemkarponn
The last five years have been about the defections, the political musical chair, the scams, the agitations against casinos, the Mhadei diversion, the rage against the three linear projects, against the Coal handling at Mormugao Port Trust and the mismanagement in the handling of COVID19 pandemic.
Needless to say, the Bharatiya Janata Party, which stole people’s mandate through the backdoor with their illicit affair with Goa Forward Party, MGP and the independents in 2017, is battling against the strong anti-incumbency wave and if people’s mood can be judged, the BJP which had around 27 MLAs at the end of the term may find itself struggling to cross the double-digit.
But only if the people decide. It is for the people to vote in one voice. We saw what happened during the Zilla Parishad and Municipality polls. The BJP successfully split the votes, either through polarisation, sheer money power or by luring the youth with the government job carrot.
The BJP started with an engineering split in the Congress, first bringing in Vishwajit Rane, then Dayanand Sopte and Subash Shirodkar. Two years later, BJP led a major coup against Congress, splitting 10 of their MLAs to join their party and two from MGP.
Vijay Sardesai, Sudin Dhavalikar and independents paid the price of going against the people’s mandate in 2017 when they were unceremoniously dropped from Cabinet.
Despite being in a commanding position with 27 MLAs and calling itself a “double engine” government – with two governments in State and Centre, the BJP failed to resolve several critical issues faced by Goa – the Mhadei diversion and the Mining issue.
If the Central government wanted, it could have solved the issue within minutes, but it chose not to because it has its own vested interest.
So the “double engine” is only for bridges, roads and destruction? Not for the critical issues, Goa is facing?
Due to mining closure, lakhs of individuals and businesses have been suffering for 10 years now, and the diversion of Mhadei would mean North Goa will be left to struggle for every drop of water. The River Mandovi on, which Goa is dependent, is slowly drying up.
But sadly, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, who gave lengthy speeches and rhetoric of Nation First, failed to understand that for Goans, it is Goa First. If people are robbed of their livelihood and basic need like water, would they support you, “No, Modiji, you are wrong. We love India, and it is in our heart, but we do not exhibit it everywhere. We are ready to sacrifice anything for the country, but please be sensitive to Goans issues. Remember country will prosper only if the States prosper.”
If Goans want to preserve Goa for posterity and at the same time wants to resolve the issues of brain drain and unemployment, it has to vote for a new government that will take people’s emotions and sentiments into consideration before bulldozing any major projects on them.
We have seen how the BJP was trying to bulldoze the IIT Goa project at Melauli. It was only because the people of Shel Melauli, especially women, stood firm and took lathis and wounds but did not budge, which forced the Dr Pramod Sawant and local MLA Vishwajit Rane to make a hasty retreat and withdraw IIT Goa from Melauli.
In the last five years, we saw how the insensitive Health Minister Vishwajit Rane and Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant were involved in a COLD WAR when the people were gasping for breath in the COVID19 pandemic second wave.
To feel his pockets, Health Minister Vishwajit Rane had given the Oxygen supply contract to just one supplier M/ Scoop Industries, who was unable to meet the rising demand and sadly, that led to the deaths of 1729 people. Even CM Dr Pramod Sawant cannot absolve himself from the crime. The two have blood on their hands of 1729 innocent people.
We also saw how essential equipment like ventilators, medicines, and PPEs was bought at inflated prices, thereby causing crores of rupees to the cash-starved state.
In the last five years, the BJP promised jobs for youth, but sadly, the jobs were either sold or were given to non-deserving BJP workers.
We also saw wholesale destruction of Goa for big projects. If the destruction for development and construction continues at the same pace in the next five years, we may find Goa has become another Mumbai or Delhi by the time the next election comes.
So my fellow Goans, we have to decide who we want to rule us next. The vote has to be in one voice, and only a single party must get the mandate, be it Congress, BJP, AAP or TMC or MGP or Goa Forward because the fractured mandate means that “horse-trading” will begin once again, and we will be left to blame the leaders on social media or at Azad Maidan, Lohia Maidan again for the next five years.
BE WISE; VOTE WISELY…