Suddenly the Congress camp gets a spring in their steps. Enter Atanasio Monserrate alias Babush. The Taleigao strongman makes his third entry into the Congress and is expected to carry the party’s hopes at the Panaji bypoll. Babush’s entry has left the partymen visibly enthused and jumping with joy. They see a fresh hope of taking a shot at power. With virtually no candidate for the Panaji vacancy, Congress is now riding high and is depending on Babush to get them through. An upbeat Congress team at the re-induction with several leaders talking out of turn including the otherwise restrained Margao MLA Digambar Kamat, reflects the mood.
Babush began in right earnest firing his first salvo against former chief minister Manohar Parrikar. In a move to woo youth, Babush claimed that Parrikar failed to provide jobs to the youth of Panjim. Strange are the ways of politicos. Babush and his Goa Forward party were part of the alliance government with his party supremo Vijai Sardesai enjoying the powers of a virtual second-in-command. Why did he keep mum then? Not even once was this issue raked up by Babush or Vijai. If there was a genuine interest of the youth of Panaji at heart, Babush could have questioned Parrikar when he was planning a walk-over for Parrikar on the eve of 2017 bypoll, instead of raking up this issue when the Panaji MLA is no more. If new PDAs can be created to satiate Babush’s hunger and reward him for the biggest political sacrifice of his life, we don’t find any reason why a legitimate demand of jobs could not have been met.
Politics makes for strange bedfellows. Both, Babush who holds the notorious record of jumping parties, and Congress, which has the dubious distinction of embracing defectors, have seized the opportunity to further their respective political interests. With party willing, even the Congress ban on Babush meant nothing and was rolled back to clear his way. And both will happily conclude that there are no permanent enemies in politics.
Now that the much-proclaimed coalition dharma of Vijai is intact, Babush’s soft walkout from Goa Forward and the remarriage to Congress will be keenly watched. With Chief Minister Pramod Sawant hinting at a future government without allies, it is becoming increasingly clear that the BJP is looking forward to expanding their reach while reducing their dependence on allies of different hues. This could mean fielding their own candidates in areas dominated by allies, including Fatorda. With MGP settled, the Goa Forward supremo will be watching the BJP moves very closely, more especially since the arithmetic is still delicately balanced. The bypoll results hold the probability of a change in power equations. In an extreme situation, Babush could be Vijai’s Plan D for the future.
