While COVID19 was there since March 2022, many politicians have come out now wanting to help Goans with groceries and other things during the Ganesh festival. And why not? This is just an appropriate or fitting time for the politicians to distribute groceries with elections to teh Goa Legislative Assembly just around the corner.
Truckloads of groceries are being distributed in every constituency by the sitting MLAs, Ministers and aspiring politicians. One wonders where were these people when people were really suffering? Why did they not feel right to help people in troubled times? Ganesh Chaturthi was there in 2022 too, but why is the enthusiasm missing from the politicians then?
While the politicians will do what suits them, it is for the people whether to accept the goodies or not.
SURAJ NANDREKAR
Editor, Goemkarponn
The COVID19 pandemic has revealed the true face of the politicians in Goa.
Thousands, if not lakhs, have gone through a rough phase in the pandemic times since March 2020. People in Goa have struggled for food, EMIs, insurance etc.
Be it tourism dependents, mining dependents, private sector employees whose salaries were cut, small businesses, auto-rickshaws, motorcycle pilots, fruit vendors, etc. You name any business, and all have faced hardships during the COVID19 induced lockdowns.
In these troubled times, only a few politicians helped people with groceries and other needs while the rest waited for better timing, which would suit them for distributing the goodies.
While COVID19 was there since March 2022, many politicians have come out now wanting to help Goans with groceries and other things during the Ganesh festival. And why not? This is just an appropriate or fitting time for the politicians to distribute groceries with elections to teh Goa Legislative Assembly just around the corner.
Truckloads of groceries are being distributed in every constituency by the sitting MLAs, Ministers and aspiring politicians. One wonders where were these people when people were really suffering? Why did they not feel right to help people in troubled times? Ganesh Chaturthi was there in 2022 too, but why is the enthusiasm missing from the politicians then?
While the politicians will do what suits them, it is for the people whether to accept teh goodies or not.
People must keep in mind that during the COVID19 pandemic or when someone from your family got COVID, did these politicians help find a hospital bed, get oxygen, or provide any groceries food? If no, then you must not take the groceries offered now.
Instead, the people and the voters must ask the politicians what they have done in the past five years? Why did they not help people in the last five years? How many jobs they have been given? What is the development they have done in the previous five years? Question them on the water and electricity supply. Grill them on the poor roads.
The pandemic has revealed the true face of politicians in Goa.
While some voters have been happily accepting such goodies despite knowing that politicians are trying to lure them, others reject them outright. In some cases, the `distributors’ face the people’s wrath for making such cheap offerings.
To be fair, many politicians did help people during the pandemic, but many have suddenly woken up to teh 2022 Assembly polls.
The Election Commission must also include these distributions in the candidate’s expenditure list.