It will not be an overstatement to say that the Mhadei imbroglio has spewed an orgy of political statements, mostly either devoid of substance or congruence with past stances. It is not unexpected either, given that the issue has in the past been milked for political dividends by all sides of Goa's political prism.
Take 2017, around the same time in December as this issue has got raked up last week when the CWC clearance to the Kalasa and Bhandura DPRs became public. The then chief minister of Goa, late Manohar Parrikar, took a stunning U-turn in a letter to the Karnataka BJP chief B S Yediyurappa that the State is willing to talk about conceding to Karnataka 7.56 TMC for diversion for drinking water purposes. That too was when the very same issue was being vehemently opposed by the State before the Mahadayi Water Dispute Tribunal (MWDT).
Then, like it is now, the Mhadei issue is clearly being exploited for electoral dividends in Karnataka where polls are due this year. It is especially sensitive and crucial in the North Karnataka region of Hubli, Dharwad and Belagavi.
Strangely, however, after the initial days since the issue got raked up again, the Opposition's attack on Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, even demanding his resignation if he is unable to convince the Centre to reverse the consent to the DPRs, has got blunted after inherent contradictions in the political parties involved inhibited their narratives.
For, both the ruling BJP and the Opposition Congress, the two are caught between the inherent contradictions of their party's interests in Goa and Karnataka. To a lesser extent, this inherent contradiction has also in a way impeded the stance of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), whose unit in Karnataka, like the BJP and Congress, has been staunchly espousing Karnataka's cause.
That leaves the two regional outfits in the Opposition -- Goa Forward Party (GFP) and Revolutionary Goans Party (RGP) -- which both have a miniscule presence of one member each in the House of 40.
RGP chief Manoj Parab was quick to point out these contradictions but also exposed his party's cluelessness on the Mhadei issue and claimed that they are consulting technical and legal experts to come up with a strategy.
As for the GFP, its lone legislator Vijai Sardesai, went hammer and tongs for Sawant no sooner than the issue cropped up only to be saddled with his own past stance in favour of the August 2018 MWDT award.
A cabinet minister at that time, Sardesai was at the forefront of the then Parrikar government's campaign orchestrating as a 'Victory for Goa' the award which allocates this very 3.9 TMC to Karnataka for diversion to the Malaprabha basin from Kalasa and Bhandura.
Politically, therefore, Mhadei is unlikely to fuel the narrative in Goa for much too long and the actors may at best succeed in keeping the narrative alive until the elections in neighbouring Karnataka are done and dusted.
