The Panaji constituency has been out of bounds for the Congress ever since Manohar Parrikar wrested it in 1994. So dominant is his presence that the Congress could never find a candidate strong enough to defeat him. This situation prevails even today. At the last hustings Babush Monserrate fancied his chances because of an anti-BJP wave and the fact that he would be facing Sidharth Kunkalienkar and not Parrikar. Monserrate has always threatened to stand against Parrikar only to withdraw at the last moment, giving one the impression that he had struck deals with the BJP. In fact he was kicked out of the Congress for supporting Kunkalienkar against the official Congress candidate for the by-elections precipitated by Parrikar’s resignation.
One can understand the desperation of the Congress in this matter. It won 17 seats, but failed to form the government and now it has no one of caliber who can coerce regional parties and independent MLAs to switch sides. So it has put its faith in Monserrate, the man it kicked out a few years ago. So desperate is the Congress that Monserrate was able to induce the party central leader A Chellakumar to meet at a place of his choosing. And on Thursday, the entire Congress Legislature Party congregated at Monserrate’s residence to chalk out the future course of action. Never in the past has the CLP subjugated itself to the will of one man who is not even a member of the party. It was a classic case of the tail wagging the dog. And even after the meeting Monserrate was not willing to commit. He merely said that, “if he decides to contest it will be on a Congress ticket”. Why this sudden love for the Congress? Why this sudden determination to contest only on a Congress ticket? And then, throw in a googly that he would not contest only if Luizinho Faleiro resigned as GPCC president?
Everyone, including Monserrate, knows that defeating Parrikar is no easy task. If you can’t destroy a pawn don’t think of defeating the king. That being the case, why is Monserrate so keen on losing twice? Also, what difference would it make if Faleiro continues as GPCC president or not? The GPCC president is responsible for taking the Congress from nine to 17 seats and despite this achievement he has announced that he is willing to resign from any post to help the Congress. It appears that Monserrate is playing the game for his own benefit, the sad part is that Congress leaders are willing to hypothecate the party to a man who is as unreliable as the weather. This is a new low for the Congress.
