Diwali gone, cabinet rejig talk back on the table
Diwali is over and the focus in the political corridors has again returned to the expected cabinet reshuffle necessary to 'reward' the eight party-hoppers who switched sides from the Congress to the ruling BJP in mid-September.Stories will now begin to abound in newspapers, local tv channels and the free-for-all social media platforms on who will be in, who will be out, why he, what portfolio, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.
But sifting through the stories already clogging the grapevine, Digambar Kamat, who has been the butt of almost everyone for his invisible hotline to the divine, is emerging as the hottest favourite to bag one of the two slots.
Kamat, for Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, comes with an additional burden of being allocated a 'significant' responsibility (portfolio) in the team, the default burden of finding an incumbent being dumped, apart.
The jury is still out on who will be the second from among the eight party-hoppers to make it to the cabinet. But on Kamat's name, everyone even in rumour land, seems to be unanimous on. The debate that remains is, what portfolio will he get.
A source in the BJP power eco-system tells us that the veteran from Margao has his sights set on the Town and Country Planning (TCP) portfolio. The message has also been delivered, through intermediaries, to the current minister Vishwajit Rane.
Question is, will Sawant play the hand and clip the wings of his challenger-in-chief? The source insists though that the CM will deliver the punch. And to validate his claim, argues that "My labour and benefits to Kamat?" is what prompted Rane to unexpected climb down and rescind his own ambitious changes to the TCP law to facilitate golf courses, film cities, et al.
We rather wait for the time to tell.
Where is the mercurial Bardez politician?
So where is the former Tivim MLA Kiran Kandolkar?
Soon after the All India Trinamool Congress’ (TMC) debacle in the February 14 assembly elections in the State, Kiran and his wife Kavita quit (not essentially in that order) the Mamata-led party in a huff.
While Kiran was routed in the Aldona assembly constituency, his wife, who all expected to win, disappointed the political pundits.
From BJP to Goa Forward Party and then the final leap to the TMC on the eve of the assembly elections, the very unpredictable Kiran Kandolkar lost the plot mid-way and has now been reduced to a political pariah.
For a politician who is known to be outspoken, his silence now is deafening. He seems to have gone into a shell but then is he left with any other option?
For a ruling party which is known to let the dogs out against vociferous opponents, silence is indeed golden. But if the political weather bureau is to be believed, the mercurial Kiran Kandolkar is likely to make a comeback in the saffron camp. Yup, the focus is on the parliamentary elections and more Bhandaris join the party the better.
By the way, if Kiran indeed joins the BJP then it will be nothing short of an instinct of a Great Gambler.
Sudin's recourse to the divine?
It is not just Digambar Kamat alone, who seems to have a connection and takes recourse to the divine to seek direction and answers to political impasses and difficulties. Power Minister Ramkrishna Dhavlikar, better known as Sudin, is another of Goa's politicians who resorts to the spiritual connection, it is widely believed.
Hailing from a family of temple priests, Sudin recently raised a controversy over the popular celebration of burning effigies of the Demon king 'Narkasura' a day before Diwali, calling for its abolition.
Sudin's demand is not new. The Hindu right-wing organisation Sanatan Saunstha, which Sudin is known to have ties with, has been at it for years. Remember the 2009 blasts close to the venue of the 'Narkarusa Contest' Kamat as CM was to preside over?
But what did become a topic of discussion is the heavy downpour within hours of Sudin raking up the Narakasura controversy, drenching the giant effigies which in many places were still in the making. That's why Kamat's fabled monopoly on 'connection to god' is now being poached upon by Sudin in meme-land, to the rain gods for sure.
Noes to ayes: Curious case of Rajesh on Bainguinim
When Cumbarjua MLA, Rajesh Faldessai was in the Opposition, he had organized a protest against the setting up of the waste plant at Bainguinim. Then, he had threatened that he would bring thousands of people on the streets if the government went ahead with the project while demanding that the same be shifted elsewhere.Now that he is part of the ruling BJP government, it appears that the MLA has resigned to his fate as even after the government notifying 1.7 lakh square metres land at Bainguinim as waste management area, there is not even a whimper against the move from Faldessai as yet.
We are now left wondering whether Faldessai has followed the same path that his predecessor Pandurang Madkaikar followed.
When Madkaikar was in the Congress he was leading opposition to the Bainguinim plant but when he joined BJP he began supporting the plant.
It remains to be seen whether the present MLA too will budge under pressure or whether he will remain true to his word that he would continue opposition to the Bainguinim waste plant, come what may.
-
Compiled by Ashley do Rosario with inputs from Agnelo Pereira and Manuel Vaz
