Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar is known for his astute leadership and administrative skills. The fact that despite his precarious health condition, he still remains the binding force for the coalition government, only amplifies the respect he commands. And while a silent leadership scan is happening in the background, State BJP president Vinay Tendulkar, whose name figures prominently on the radar, has emerged as a chief disruptor rather than a broker for peace.
Tendulkar has been the choice of key ally Goa Forward, but with the recent handling of events, the BJP president being chief ministerial material is questionable. Leading a party which boasts of senior leaders is different from leading the State as a chief minister. Need for restraint, quick thinking, smart handling of situations and deft backroom maneouvering are a few characteristics that go into making a tall leader like Parrikar.
Tendulkar’s leadership has been a big letdown going by the handling of recent political developments. By defying Dayanand Sopte and refuting any promises made to the former Congress MLA for switching sides, the BJP president is only burning bridges. With this defiance, he has not only set himself on a warpath with the new recruit, but also dented his relations with the man behind the entire mission “ Vishwajit Rane. At a time when the BJP president should be creating a conducive atmosphere within the party, more especially when there are warring BJP factions in Mandrem, Tendulkar has vitiated the atmosphere and instead added fuel to fire.
What’s worse is coming out in the open and trying to expose former chief minister Laxmikant Parsekar for his outbursts against Amit Shah and Parrikar in the recent core committee meeting. This will only make life difficult for the party bosses in Delhi.
Tendulkar had his brush with the media too when he intervened to clarify the ‘personal interest’ comment made recently by newly-inducted power minister Nilesh Cabral. Terming it as ‘misleading’, Tendulkar blamed the fourth estate for misquoting Cabral, but had his foot in the mouth when a video surfaced showing that Cabral indeed spoke of TCP Minister Vijai Sardesai’s personal interest.
Tendulkar may have suddenly hogged the spotlight in the absence of Parrikar, but even the CM’s health issue has been so badly handled that one could easily see through his lies. Otherwise how would anyone explain his disclosure that Parrikar has recovered almost 90 per cent and will resume work in a couple of days? This comes a day before the CM was flown in from AIIMS-Delhi on a special flight and taken on a stretcher. It would make better sense if leaders stop giving out-of-turn health updates and rather remain muted like the once vocal Calangute MLA Michael Lobo.
A good leader and a chief ministerial aspirant must have attributes of being a binding force and not a misguiding head, especially when there is a coalition government in place. Ironically, going by the handling of the political upheavals that the State has faced so far, Tendulkar has failed to establish himself as the man for the future.
