The Congress suffered a vicious stab in the back on Thursday when its Valpoi MLA Vishwajit Rane remained absent during the vote of confidence, thereby reducing the tally of the party from 17 to 16. Rane took the oath, left the House during the confidence vote and later in the day submitted his resignation to the pro tem Speaker thus confirming that he had broken away from the party that nearly won the election, but lost the race. Although there were rumours that Rane would resign, the final decision to quit and the manner in which it was orchestrated came as a shock to the Congress, which is still to find its feet after literally giving up power to the BJP-led government. Till Wednesday night it was trying hard to woo MLAs back to its fold. Now it has the onerous task of preventing its MLAs from being poached upon. This was not how the Congress had planned the vote of confidence, but this is how it went and Rane’s exit has taken the throne one step away from it.
Rane has given his reasons for leaving the party in a huff. He blamed the leadership of the Congress for failing to forge an alliance with the Goa Forward Party (GFP). He blamed everyone for not being able to select a leader within 24 hours and for letting go of the chance to form government. Now he plans to re-contest and it is obvious that he will support the government if and when he is re-elected.
There is an element of truth in what Rane said soon after handing over his resignation. He was part of the group that favoured a pre-poll alliance with the Goa Forward Party, but their demand was thwarted by GPCC president Luizinho Faleiro, who is now captain of a sinking ship. There is no telling how many MLAs might follow Rane, but the threat is real. The huge victory of the BJP in Uttar Pradesh was an indication that a change in government at the Centre in 2019 is remote and this might have forced Rane’s hand because a change in government in the State can only happen if a similar change occurs in Delhi.
Rane is a strong MLA, but his resignation has shown that he is not a leader. He is more of an individual with ambition, but without the courage to remain loyal to a political party. Manohar Parrikar remained loyal to the BJP, so did Atal Behari Vajpayee and Narendra Modi. His father, who was loyal to the Congress and ideologically inclined towards it, was sworn-in as chief minister seven times. So, where does Vishwajit Rane’s future lie? Can he become the Vijai Sardessai of the North or forever remain an individual with individual interests?
