AERIAL VIEW
A BJP functionary says all Goa ministers and MLAs who quit this week came from other parties, with no ideological grooming in RSS or BJP.
He says that there have been similar exits in UP, Bengal, and other states.
The BJP{, however, is unperturbed by such exits as it says the leaders who left were either expected to leave or were never going to be considered for the party ticket.
While Wilfred D’sa and Filipe Neri had made their minds clear that they would not contest on BJP ticket, Alina, Carlos were to be ignored for the ticket this time.
Why the minority MLAs do not want to contest on BJP tickets?
SURAJ NANDREKAR
Editor, Goemkarponn
Why are minority MLAs deserting BJP?
The Bharatiya Janata Party, which has taken its tally from 13 to 27 in the Assembly, without fighting elections, has suddenly found itself in a troubling situation.
At least six MLAs have either left or decided to quit the party and contest from other party tickets or as independent; shockingly, five are from minority communities.
It was all started by former Cortalim MLA Alina Saldanha, who quit to join Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), and next to follow was former Vasco MLA Carlos Almeida. The biggest shock but not a surprise was Michael Lobo, who had been hobnobbing with the Congress for two years or so finally decided to quit.
As the party was yet to recover from the shock, two other MLAs, Minister Filipe Neri Rodrigues and Wilfred D’sa, decided to resign from the party and as MLAs and fight as either independent or like-minded party.
Sources reveal many other minority leaders are also set to resign from BJP.
The BJP had 15 minority MLAs till November end while the majority was 12, and today minority number is just 9,
Now the question arises why are minority MLA’s quitting BJP?
Don’t they trust the BJP or feel they would not get elected on BJP ticket or feel the BJP has failed to convince the minority community, which still considers it a communal party?
A BJP functionary says all Goa ministers and MLAs who quit this week came from other parties, with no ideological grooming in RSS or BJP.
He says that there have been similar exits in UP, Bengal, and other states.
The BJP{, however, is unperturbed by such exits as it says the leaders who left were either expected to leave or were never going to be considered for the party ticket.
While Wilfred D’sa and Filipe Neri had made their minds clear that they would not contest on BJP ticket, Alina, Carlos were to be ignored for the ticket this time.
Why the minority MLAs do not want to contest on BJP tickets?
Unlike late Manohar Parrikar, Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant and BJP State president Sadanand Shet Tanavade failed to connect with the church and minority communities.
Parrikar, if one remembers, won the trust of minorities in 2012 by his padayatra, wherein he stayed at the places and had dinners and lunch with minorities. Parrikar enjoyed an excellent rapport with the church, not just the padayatra. Remember how he resolved the critical Medium of Instruction Issue without hurting the minorities? But that does not exist today in the Narendra Modi era, where such gestures are considered to be minority appeasement.
Have we seen Dr Pramod Sawant or Tanavade show a similar gesture? No.
“We have not referred to people with religion, but now some are trying to differentiate them as Hindu, Muslim, Christian among others,” Sawant says.
If this is so, why are his own colleagues deserting him? Why cannot he convince them that he is the chief minister of the entire Goa and not just one community?
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