Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s oratorial rhetoric, chest-thumping muscularity and the flinging of his arms often seen while putting across a point were all amiss at the Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Stadium, Bambolim. The huge turnout on Wednesday was treated to some subdued crowd-pleasing optics bereft of any inherent histrionics and heavy delivery that the prime minister is known for.
Much against the backdrop of the outrage of mining dependents, Modi craftily chose to strike an emotional chord emphasizing on the unaccomplished vision of late CM Manohar Parrikar. The PM paid rich tributes to Parrikar in his opening remarks and spoke about his integrity and honesty and how he was a role model to all leaders. From Parrikar’s role in giving a new dimension to India’s defence doctrine to surgical strikes, Modi stressed on the Parrikar factor while asking Chief Minister Pramod Sawant to take his vision forward.
However, holding on to his authoritativeness, Modi launched a fierce attack on Congress and spoke about scams recalling Bofors, Quattrocchi and kickbacks. From tax benefits to taming inflation, Modi touched upon a host of reforms, but failed to convince Goans on State-specific issues like mining, unemployment and tourism failure.
Against the backlash of a failed promise to resolve the mining crisis, Modi spoke on attempts made by the Centre to find a judicious solution despite the hurdles and stressed on the fact that he was seized with the matter. The prime minister ended up holding out yet another assurance that Delhi will continue its efforts and a solution will be entirely in consultation with the State.
Tourism promotion and concepts like e-visa, visa-on-arrival and a host of infrastructural projects including Mopa and smart city were highlighted, but there was no word on the more pressing issue of the current decline in Goa’s tourism. A failed tourism season this year has sent alarm bells ringing and with mining at a standstill, the State has huge fiscal worries to deal with, none of which were addressed.
While Modi highlighted the welfare and infrastructure development of his government, there were no answers on the unemployment scenario that Goa is currently grappling with. The State is in the grip of joblessness with several youth migrating for greener pastures overseas, including Europe and the Far East. Add to this the flak that Modi is facing nation-wide over failure on his 2014 jobs promise.
Pramod may have been entrusted with the job of taking forward the vision of Parrikar, but the challenges are enormous. It remains to be seen if Parrikar’s emotional connect and Modi’s chorus of Chowkidar in Konkani language can work its magic on the electorate. With BJP failing to address some key issues during its tenure, the party will have to rediscover a way to give new hope and establish a reconnect with the people.
