www.oherald.com dated May 7, 2002 TUESDAY TUNES
KRC ticket to polls!? WANT A TICKET? Be well connected to the staff of the Konkan Railway Corporation, and you are sure to get one. It�s peak season now for rail travel, and strangely, people holding managerial posts, who were recruited when George Fernandes was minister for railways, are busy issuing tickets not for rail travel but tickets to contest 20 seats that the Samata Party intends to do in the ensuing assembly elections. The Samata Party is all too willing to offer you a ticket. And, if you are connected to the staff of the Konkan Railway Corporation, then nothing like it. You are sure to get the Samata ticket. Reports are that George Fernandes� party is hoping to contest the assembly elections in as many as 20 constituencies, to maintain its status as a national party. Deciding to contest an election is one thing for George, but implementing that decision, is quite another. Where will his Samata Party get the 20 candidates he intends to put up from? But for George it�s no problem. He can always fall back on Konkan Railway Corporation. After all it was his baby, and he�s dumped hundreds of �ayahs� and male nurses to look after it. The former railway minister and current defence minister, has deputed a trusted lieutenant from Mumbai, one Martins, to finalise the list of candidates. To implement this plan, Martins who has no Goan political background, only has Fernandes� solitary link to Goa � the Konkan Railway Corporation � to bank on. One of the senior KRC staff who is entrusted the duty of identifying candidates, revealed that given the short notice and they being non-Goans, it has become a nightmare for them to obey to their chief�s order. All isn�t fair SO HOW DO you know that you will not get a ticket. Well, we guess, this Bharatiya Janata Party candidate from Tiswadi got a clear hint, a while ago. One of the most reliable partymen and already a veteran of two assembly elections, this aspirant was literally shrugged aside, during a press conference, last week. When before a press conference, the aspirant came to the dais to announce, how fake names had been inserted in the electoral rolls, by his rival to be. Well, before he could start, he was told by a party heavyweight to move aside, so that the press conference could begin. Who said, all is fair in politics? Water woes SO THE WATER situation in Goa is very good eh? Ask anybody visiting the Goa Medical College, Bambolim. Several eye-witnesses claim, that the water scarcity is such, that even pathological tests have to be postponed due to paucity of water. Already Panjim and Divar are struck by this menace. About Altinho and it�s VIP attachments, we do not know. Usually water never runs uphill, but in this case it might just. Campaign crossfire ELECTION CAMPAIGNING IS on. And it is really catching up. And guess how we know. Well, just this evening, this office just received a complaint regarding harassment of �voters� of one candidate, by the supporter of the �rival� candidate. This jointly signed letter is addressed to the Public Works Department by six persons from Bhatulem, who claim, that on Monday forenoon, a supporter demolished a public tap there, and that the residents of the area, were now deprived of water. Well, more amusing after this, a call was received by the rival candidate, who implored this diarist to do the �needful�. I scratch, you scratch IT WAS FOLLOWING a cricket match, that the Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar bowled a googly. Invited as the chief guest for the prize distribution ceremony of an all journo cricket tournament, Mr Parrikar quipped, "I thank you all for inviting me here. Usually during elections politicians are not valued much. Your very calling me here, shows that we share a strong relation." That, some journalists do. They really do... Jharkhand or Varkhand? AFTER DAYS OF closed-door wrangling, the BJP has finally lost Ramakant Khalap, and Ramakant Khalap has lost the BJP. Like unwilling partners, both the BJP and Mr Khalap, dilly-dallied for a long time before the divorce decree was finally signed on Monday. But many interesting things took place in the run-up to the final divorce. This diarist is in possession of definite information that Khalap was offered several tickets but his most coveted Mandrem. Pernem, Mapusa, and a few others were offered to him but the silver-haired politician refused them all. And understandably, given that the veteran of over two decades, has always represented Mandrem and only Mandrem in the Goa legislative assembly for five terms. That is not all, that was offered to Khalap. The BJP reportedly also offered Khalap the gubernatorial post in Jharkhand in exchange for his "services" in the party throughout the election process in Goa. It was a juicy offer indeed, but it was his supporters from Mandrem that didn�t find the offer very attractive. "Jharkhand? Where is this Jharkhand? Why don�t they send you to Varkhand instead?," some of Khalap�s supporters shot back with sarcasm, at him when he put the offer before them. For readers who may not know, �Varkhand� is a panchayat in the Pernem taluka. Naam mein kya hai? IF THE Bharatiya Janata Party believes in omens, then their Vasco campaign could have not started on a symbolically, more adverse note. It�s okay that it�s former minister, Jose Philip D�Souza, quit in a huff after the assembly�s dissolution. That event was well tackled by the BJP brass in the port town. But, we wonder how the saffron party can take this one..... the name of the building which houses the BJP�s election office in Vasco is.....guess what? No...it�s not Vajpayee apartments, or Lal Krishna apartments....it indeed is �Sonia Apartments�. Wonder how Vasco�s �Parivar Sadasyas� would digest this one. Tailpiece IN THE TEMPLE of democracy With idols of clay The electorate�s a sewer Thats where the rats prey. _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-W-E-B---S-I-T-E-=-=-= To Subscribe/Unsubscribe from GoaNet | http://www.goacom.com/goanet =================================================================== For (un)subscribing or for help, Contact: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Dont want so many e=mails? Join GoaNet-Digest instead ! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Help support non-commercial projects in Goa by advertizing!! * * * * Your ad here !!
