A cry from a Congress worker By N Shivdas
The time has come to speak frankly and openly. I am a Congress worker, a very ordinary worker. As a Congressman, I publicly spoke for our Congress candidates over the past several elections. I have been speaking and writing out of love for Goa and its language Konkani, and in the interest of Goa and Goans. Till recently, I was a columnist for Goa's only Konkani daily Sunaparant. My column there was titled Ami Goemkar (We Goans), which stopped as the daily has at its helm a new young team, which would like to see the paper to flourish without senior writers. Good luck to them. There's other space for one to express one's thoughts. In the vernacular, I wrote regarding the shape the Congress was taking in Goa. But perhaps my message did not reach those congress leaders who were not familiar with the Devanagari script. Secondly, Congress leaders tend to be power-seekers and not my readers; the world of ideas is not their area of interest. Many prefer to belong to a thoughtless desert, one in which they can mislead and deceive the common-man without much hurdles. After all, such a desert is full of opportunists and helpless poor voters, whom these leaders can lure over with Gandhi notes and the lure of liquor. Most Congress leaders, for that matter, would have not read the Constitution or the manifesto of the national party. I have known many of them personally, and have read their mentality towards the party, their lack of principles or their commitment to the party. Many acted as Congressmen only at the time of elections, only when it came to fetching party tickets -- often on the basis of winnability. Of course, winnability was also considered synonymous with wealth and the money-power to buy votes of the poor and the ignorant. Many didn't know what role a legislator should play, both inside and beyond the Assembly. Instead, many killed and stabbed the Congress party not just once but repeatedly for the sake of the kodel (chair). People termed some of them as cheaters, scam- tainted, corrupt, smugglers and so on, but inspite of so many adjectives showered on them, such politicians knew that these remarks would not cut ice with their illiterate voters. They were confident in the belief that thinkers and intellectuals are in a microscopic. At worst, such people would not come out on voting day to stand in the queue. This, of course, was another benefit to them, because it meant that many right-thinking people simply stayed at home at election time. Such people cannot be bought by money, so they would not bother the people living in big mansions or the educated middle-class voter from the urban building. Fortunately or unfortunately, many of these leaders still live under the same illusion. They dream of contesting future elections again and again, as if the constituencies of their choice have become their inherited property -- or xapaichem bens. During the last elections, we wrote, we shouted and we cried against the giving of tickets to tainted persons, painted in the black. We publicly told the Congress that if the party wanted to win 25 seats, it should bring in new and clean faces, those equipped with due education, a debating capacity, the right principles and morals. Those with a clean slate. It was planned and decided, and delegations went to New Delhi to convince the national leaders. This was promised too. Local newspapers wrote about the possibility of a new leadership emerging, and new candidates. But all efforts went in vain. Narkasuras won over Krishnas. Suitcases were filled by scoundrels from Delhi who pretended to be saviours of the Congress in Goa. Resultantly, the Congress didn't quite make it. Even then, it had a lot of chances to form a Congress government in the state, because candidates of other parties elected were either previous Congress workers, or anti- BJP in orientation. Benaulim's and Taleigao's candidates didn't know the ABCD of politics. But money power played its role there. However, the people did not cry when they won, because the losers were not saints either. In both these constituencies, tainted Congressmen lost. Still, all was not lost. At this stage too, the Congress had yet another opportunity to cast away the threat of communalism which has been looming over Goa. So-called Congress leaders from Saligao and Curtorim wanted to become the CM of Goa. Willy nilly, both helped the BJP to rise to power. This has other implications too. In a democracy, involving the process of a head-count, it is the majority that rules. The Goan Bahujan Samaj -- or masses, whether Hindu or Catholic -- ruled Goa for the past 35 years. But the stabbing of the Congress in the back changed the situation. It is said that there are only leaders in Goa's Congress, and not workers. It could be argued too that there were only chief ministers, and not ministers. In the fight for the chief ministership, the prize was taken away by a BJP crow, who watched the cockfight from very close. This history of Goa's Congress would have not come to be written today if there were true Congressmen, who understood perfectly what Mohandas Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru really stood for. But they only used their name and fame to win on Congress tickets, hardly abiding by the principles of the party they represented. As long as such leaders stay active in the present day Congress, and are not ready to accept the reality, there are no chances of winning the elections in Goa in the near future. As a Congress worker, I appeal to all those who desire and dream to bring the Congress to power to fight unitedly against those who have ruined the party in Goa for the sake of the chair, and to strive for an ideal new leadership. Young and dynamic. I also appeal to our senior Congress leader. Specially those who have not turned turn-coat. Will any Congressman listen to this cry? -- Shivdas is a Konkani writer, who has been associated with social movements in Goa. ########################################################################## # Send submissions for Goanet to [EMAIL PROTECTED] # # PLEASE remember to stay on-topic (related to Goa), and avoid top-posts # # More details on Goanet at http://joingoanet.shorturl.com/ # # Please keep your discussion/tone polite, to reflect respect to others # ##########################################################################
