In 2012 the BJP came to power on the back of a list of assurances. Their tenure is almost complete and in the new year Goans will once again vote to send 40 representatives to the Assembly. An anti-incumbency cloud hangs over the State but to harvest a cloudburst of support, the Congress has to unite all opposition parties to put up a formidable fight against the present dispensation.
The present BJP government will be remembered in political history of the State not for anything positive, but for its U-turns on vital issues. Two chief ministers were at the helm of affairs but the U-turns continued. There is no need to list the assurances given by BJP government, most of which are very difficult to fulfill. There is a vast difference in the BJP government’s stand on the regional plan, medium of instruction, casinos and mining before and after it was voted to power. The people of Goa are aware of these twists and turns.
Another facet of this government was its inclination to take political revenge. When it failed to counter the opposition view point with ideology it misused political power to target its opponent. Those who are in opposition had to face police inquiries. The details of how the government extracted revenge are in the public domain.
One of the consequences of this political confrontation was that development lagged behind and failure to create employment opportunities. The BJP came to power by giving wild assurances to end corruption, but people have realised the truth.
Under the pretext of development the government established the Investment Promotion Board (IPB) which is above all rules and regulations and for the selfish gain of a few, Goa has suffered.
The ODPs of Panjim, Mapusa, Margao and Vasco were given sanction without taking stakeholders into confidence. Thanks to alert citizens and MLAs of Margao, Fatorda and Ponda, the Margao and Ponda ODPs were stayed by the court.
However, despite resentment against the BJP the Congress is not in a position to win in all constituencies. Hence, the party must try to forge election alliances with like-minded political parties. If Congress does not make this effort to unite the opposition, the people will not pardon it in the forthcoming Assembly election. If one wants power one must keep one’s pride and selfishness away and make the necessary sacrifices. If the Congress wants to take advantage of the anti-BJP feeling it should unite all opposition leaders and, I am sure a tsunami can be created to throw out the present BJP government.
I want to mention here that there is a new breed of individuals in Goa who call themselves clean and they level allegation against others. They pretend they are the saviours of clean politics but when their own people are exposed they cry vendetta. This is not the sign of political maturity. I can tell the people of Goa that employment through progress, sensitivity towards the environment and preservation of the Goan way of life are central to the Congress party and I repeat that if we want to come to power the Congress has to make some sacrifices.
