Can the mauling of BJP bolster a wavering Congress in Goa? Just at a time when Congress was literally written off, the grand old party has bounced right back into the game. The semi-finals to the 2019 Lok Sabha polls has been won handsomely jeopardizing BJP’s math in the bargain.
A lot has changed for the Congress. A new energy has seeped in and partymen find a spring in their step going into the forthcoming Lok Sabha election. When everything was slipping away from the Congress with the party losing meekly in states like Haryana, Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Assam, Rahul appears to have found his mojo just in time. The ridicule and mockery that the Congress president faced from Modi and BJP President Amit Shah will be a thing of the past. Imagine what victories can do to the fortunes of political parties. The Congress show has in fact made even leaders like Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav to do a rethink on grand alliance.
While Rahul Gandhi is in the midst of giving finishing touches to government formation in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, the Congress party in other states, and especially Goa, should take heart from these success stories. A victory that was achieved because the party worked as one team and effectively dealt with the enemy that lay within. An unflinching show of unity was the hallmark.
Congress partymen in Goa need to pick lessons from these victories. They will remain a divided House as long as there are vested interests and coteries within, as long as there is a constant tussle between the old and new faces, and as long as there are differences over issues. The very fact that a feeble and shaky coalition government led by an ailing Manohar Parrikar has managed to fend off every Congress offensive is testimony to the fact that the opposition has been ineffective. Politics is not about drama and screams for attention. It’s about fighting issues that matter and about reaching out to the masses, just the way the Congress did in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and above all in Chhattisgarh where the Congress was never a force to reckon with.
Interestingly, the Congress has learnt from its Goa blooper and the alacrity with which it moved the governor staking claim for government formation in Madhya Pradesh showed signs of urgency.
Parliamentary elections may be a different ball game, distinctly different from assembly polls. However, this election has put enormous pressure on the BJP and the once invincible-looking duo of Modi-Amit Shah suddenly appear vulnerable. The Congress turnaround must be commended and if its partymen in Goa have to find its own Sachin Pilot or a Jyotiraditya Scindia, these are the victories to draw inspiration from.
