PANAJI
Speaking to The Goan on Saturday, Monserrate said: “Let them announce the elections, then I will finally decide. I have met the Congress leaders and they are my friends, so there is nothing new in that.”
Earlier, the day Sidharth Kuncalienkar resigned as an MLA from Panaji, Monserrate said he would make his stand known after meeting the Congress leaders “over the next two days”. He reiterated that if he contests it will be only on a Congress ticket.
The date of the election will be decided by the Election Commission of India, but it is believed that it will be held in either late August or early September given that Parrikar has till September to get elected from a constituency in Goa.
Given that time frame, no doubt Monserrate does have time on his hands. With a decision nowhere on the horizon, speculation will build over what Monserrate’s “real” plans are. Can the Congress afford to be waiting and watching for him to make up his mind even though history suggests that such a move could be suicidal?
On at least two occasions in the past, Monserrate is known to have left the Congress waiting high and dry, the most spectacular being back in 2007.
In 2007, when the Congress government was seeking to get re-elected, it was Monserrate who at the ninth hour quit the Congress and joined the United Goans Democratic Party, leaving the party without a candidate in the constituency for that election.
In 2015, for the by-election for the seat vacated by Parrikar, Monserrate threatened to contest the election only to back out at the last minute paving the way for Surendra Furtado to contest, unsuccessfully, against Sidharth Kuncalienkar.
“In 2007, there was a reason why I quit the Congress and contested on my own. Back then, the Regional Plan 2011 was a big issue and was practically an election issue. People were blaming me for the fiasco. It was also the election in which stalwarts like Francisco Sardinha and Luizinho Faleiro lost the election. If I were to be in the Congress party, they would have blamed me for their defeats. Anticipating this, I decided that if I am responsible I should bear the blame,” Monserrate suggested.
“Besides, the Congress also denied a ticket to my wife to contest from Santa Cruz which weighed in on the decision to quit the Congress,” Monserrate said.
He, however, sought to dispel talk that the situation will repeat itself with him compromising at the last moment leaving no opposition to Parrikar.
“This time round, I will not waste the Congress ticket. If I don’t want to contest let them give the ticket to someone else,” Monserrate added.
But the doubts don’t end there. A curious demand made by Monserrate is to make the “Congress government (that Monserrate so helps form) be led by the Goa Forward Party with GF supremo Vijai Sardesai as the Chief Minister.”
Such a demand only serves to lend credibility to the idea that Monserrate is in fact only doing Sardesai’s bidding in toying with the Congress leaving it in a state of disarray, something he achieved earlier this year, allegedly at the behest of the BJP. Shouldn’t an enemy (GF) of a friend (Congress) be an enemy?
In response to another question on whether the BJP does indeed, whether he likes it or not, hold a sword over his head with the cases pending against him, Monserrate insisted that he makes his own decision.
“If you recall, in 2007 when I got re-elected and was part of the Digambar Kamat government and was in power, you can ask him (Kamat) if I even once asked that the cases against me be dropped. I believe that if you get yourself in trouble, you should be able to get yourself out of it. You can’t rely on others, and those others who you are relying on may not be in a position to help you. It will unnecessary ruin relationships,” Monserrate said.
“I have full faith in the judiciary. If you see how politics is now going on, we have to thank god for the judiciary. So nobody can force me to do anything or take any decision despite the cases. I make my own decisions,” he added.
What could be playing on Monserrate’s mind, and legitimately delaying his decision, is the fact that only recently he has lost a closely fought election against the BJP’s Sidharth Kuncalienkar. Another similar gamble could be costly to his reputation and resources.
But Monserrate maintains that contesting from Panaji continues to be a ‘dream’.
“I did not lose Panaji as a sitting MLA. In fact, I came beyond my stronghold to contest in Panaji. There were several mistakes that I made and trusted some people who I shouldn’t have, but it cannot be said that I lost to Sidharth. Parrikar himself campaigned for the election, it was as good as contesting against him,” Monserrate said.
He also said that the fact that his resources, including trusted aides, were spread thin in a bid to ensure that his ‘fort’ of Taleigao is not lost, resulting in his main men not being at his disposal in his campaign in Panaji.
“I got to visit the families only once in 16 days and not twice as is my habit. My main team was kept in my ‘turf’ (Taleigao). If you go to capture any fort, you have to make sure your own fort is secure,” Monserrate said.
“As far as I’m concerned, I’m not disillusioned by this loss and have no problem trying again,” he said.
This time round, he said several factors could work to his advantage, the fact that the BJP has ‘stolen’ the Congress’ mandate and the (non) performance of the government over the last two months.
“People will see this and vote accordingly. The people of Panaji are a mixed group. It ultimately depends on the people. They decide who should be their MLA,” he said.
“It was a dream to contest from Panaji and that dream remains alive,” Monserrate clinched.
If the BJP has stolen the Congress mandate, with the help of the Vijai Sardesai, why is Monserrate trying to make Sardesai the Chief Minister?
