Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar returns to Goa after over three months of treatment in the United States carrying a truckload of expectations. The chief minister may have walked at a jaunty pace from the Dabolim airport to his waiting car exhibiting an aura of confidence with a subtle spring in his steps, a signature smile and a wave to the crowd. But behind that outward picture, Parrikar appeared frail and tired fighting the biggest battle of his life.
While the chief minister returns to the big stage, all eyes will now be focused on the way he goes about his business and the energy which he exhibits. Closely watched also will be the temperament with which he handles governance along with the severe pulls and pressures that follow, not forgetting undercurrents of running a coalition government.
However, Parrikar in is typical style has got down to business from Day-1 clearing files and holding several meetings with key bureaucrats and colleagues. A strenuous schedule awaits him next. Top on the list are the three major issues that need immediate attention “ jobs, mining and how to handle the grim power scenario. To make matters worse, he faces a rejuvenated Congress under the new GPCC leadership of Girish Chodankar. The Congress juggernaut has been rolling at quite a pace and the discomfort of the ruling coalition was clearly visible during Parrikar’s absence.
Parrikar’s will to resume from where he had left was clearly showing. The very fact that he is trying to put the long spell of treatment behind him and take hurried strides into administration may sound positive, but as a human being it raises some serious concerns.
For every ailment there is a recovery period and rest is crucial. Parrikar is no super human and the State is no battlefield. The chief minister, by exposing himself to the toughest jobs of running a State soon after exiting the hospital, will only delay his recovery process which could take an irreparable toll on his health. Parrikar should understand the precarious situation that he is in and work out a Plan B till he is fit to go full swing.
The sympathy which is on display now will soon be forgotten and the chief minister will have to be up against all challenges thrown at him, notwithstanding the condition he is in. Besides his health, Parrikar is also taking a huge risk with the leadership issue by not letting go. There could be only two outcomes from here. Either he manages to fight his ailment and withstand all the pressure and the accompanying stress of work and still manage to wriggle out unscathed or be prepared for a complete fall from grace.
Parrikar should take the role of a mentor and prepare groundwork for the road ahead. The baton should be passed to a stand-in leader identified by Parrikar himself, even if it means selecting a leader from outside the scope of the current dispensation. A clear hierarchy needs to be put in place. The heroics of working under adverse conditions and making himself indispensable in leading the State could backfire.
