The swearing-in ceremony of Pramod Sawant as Goa’s Chief Minister today, March 28, for the second time, in the presence of prominent national and local leaders at the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium is slated to be a grand occasion replete with VVIPs, including the Prime Minister, Home Minister, Central ministers, CMs of different states, religious leaders and about 60,000 invitees. Generally, such mammoth gatherings provide an excellent platform and also a ripe opportunity for the local and national leaders to shower all kinds of praises and exaggerated laurels about extraordinary achievements during their previous administration. Unfortunately, this time, although the same party has been returned to power, everyone knows that their success at the husting has nothing to do with good governance but a “gift” by way of fluke and split in votes among opposition parties. This has been made amply clear by the wafer-thin margins some prominent BJP candidates have won and the fact that only 33.3 per cent of total votes cast were in their favour, while 66.7 per cent voted against the party. Hence it would be futile for the speakers to indulge in boasting about the past performance because there’s nothing tangible and realistic to say. The party should instead concentrate on highlighting the future plans of the new government, how it will serve the people better by bringing about equality, employment, justice, improved security, better law and order situation, controlling inflation, reducing corruption and bringing prosperity to all the sections of people.
