Senior Congress leader and newly appointed party’s election observer for Goa P Chidambaram walks into the State with a clear agenda of devising election strategies and giving direction to a wayward Congress. His immediate retort on arrival, when asked how long he will be in Goa, was, "as long as he feels". His words indicate that PC is here on a mission.
Chidambaram's arrival has set the Congress camps euphoric with leaders and party workers lining up to greet the central leader. The baby-faced Congress strategist may have exchanged pleasantries and ‘namastes’, but that’s not why he is here. PC has his task cut out in trying to resurrect the party from the situation it is currently in.
While the general political talk is about dislodging the BJP, he will have to take a decisive and well-calculated call on alliances with like-minded parties. Electoral tie-ups are a very critical aspect at this juncture because the State Congress is currently split on getting into any pre-poll arrangements, more especially with the Goa Forward which has shown a willingness to ally with the grand old party. The onus will be on the four-time finance minister of the country to balance the math behind alliances.
Secondly, while the party is at war over tickets with several leaders that have fallen out of the party gaining re-entry with a hope of a ticket, short-listing of candidates and containing divisions and dissensions within the cadre is going to be another big challenge for the seasoned leader. Party's Goa desk in-charge Dinesh Rao's recent statement that allocation of tickets will not happen in Delhi and Panaji, has put the spotlight on Chidambaram.
Thirdly, the State Congressmen and workers have been split over the vexed leadership issue, an issue which even the Congress High Command has failed to resolve. Girish Chodankar has been holding the fort despite resigning twice, and he has found support in Opposition leader and Margao MLA Digambar Kamat and a few others. On the flip side, South Goa MP and senior Congressman Francisco Sardinha has been fiercely campaigning for a change, along with the likes of Curtorim MLA Reginaldo Lourenco. Others have been fence-sitters and a few others are reluctant to speak out. That’s an assorted Congress house, and Chidambaram will have to offer a quick-fix here as time is running out.
The positives for Congress are that in Chidambaram, they see hope. The no-nonsense Harvard-educated lawyer commands both respect and fear in political circles and is known for his tough stance in extreme situations. Lest we forget, as a finance minister in 2012 he brought in some strong austerity measures and has been engaged by the Gandhis in troubleshooting crucial party issues. As finance minister, he was given the gigantic task of turning around the fortunes of the Indian economy which had witnessed economic turmoil.
Chidambaram has been the go-to man for the Congress High Command. Deputing him to Goa is a smart and positive move. It remains to be seen how he goes about his mission and how quickly he manages to bring order and discipline into a chaotic and divided house.
