On 26th April the electorate of Goa will join the nation in electing its representatives to the 14th Lok Sabha. These elections are being keenly fought and are crucial for the future of this country. India today stands at cross roads and the electorate should pause and ponder before casting its precious votes. Goa may be sending just two representatives to the 542 seat Lok Sabha but nonetheless it is vital that we make the right choice and lead the country in ensuring that secularism returns to this great nation of ours.
A few days ago it looked like the North Goa seat was going to be a cakewalk for BJP's Sripad Naik. But the Congress -NCP alliance candidate has been speedily closing in and by the time we reach polling day Dr Willy may have crossed the victory line. In South Goa, Churchill Alemao looks all set for another innings in Parliament. Only last minute money, power and other high-handed tactics by the BJP, which are anticipated, may keep their candidates hopes alive. The BJP will be using all of the official machinery to manipulate the results in their favour. Some people felt that the Opposition could have put up better candidates but now many of them seem to be reconciled to the fact that there is no other choice and keeping the winnablity factor in mind, the veteran politician may make it to the Lok Sabha, much to the BJP's surprise. One can sense and smell a very silent resolve of people to vote the BJP out. It is silent because today people dare not speak or criticise the BJP regime lest they be persecuted and harassed by the authorities at the Chief Minister's behest. So silence is very much in the air. Though some will not vote for the Congress, Dr Willy and Churchill it will be a strong protest vote that will be registered against the BJP. The statement by the BJP President flaying the Church's statement on the India Shinning Campaign seems to be doing the BJP a lot of damage. It is clear that the only two parties that have any chance of winning are the Congress - NCP alliance or the BJP. So any vote for the rest of the candidates would be a waste, a vote in vain. The BJP's game plan and hopes that the UGDP, MGP, Shiv Sena and the Communist would split the anti BJP votes to benefit the saffrons seems to be dashed. The Goan electorate seems to have smartened this time and would rather lie in bed than waste their vote. So the BJP tactic of keeping the opposition confused and disoriented may not work. It is out there for all to see that the BJP has only taken special care of a particular section of the majority community. The Bahujan Samaj is just to be used till the party attains their objective. The minority community stands to be crushed and squeezed into the corner. One would have never thought that a secular place like Goa would reach this state. Today a visit to the Secretariat or any other department one can see the saffron brigade in all positions in the name of pre-employment scheme, contract appointment or extensions in service. All norms have been cast to the bins by the BJP to Saffronise and bloat the bureaucracy with their cadres. The BJP is now well known for conveniently using the minority leaders. My sympathies are with my friends - Mapusa MLA Francis D' Souza and Velim MLA Filipe Neri Rodrigues. They are leaders with charisma and mass support. Unfortunately today they stand entangled with the saffrons and I am concerned about their plight. It will not be long before the saffrons dump them. The BJP unlike the Congress are very disciplined and will not wash their dirty linen in public. We all know about the not so cordial relationship between Mr. Manohar Parrikar and Sripad Naik but this has never been displayed in public. And the animosity between Mr. Ramakant Angle and the Chief Minister has been even more bitter but this has been all kept away from the naked eye. The infighting within the Congress is chronic. There are too many aspirants for the top job. So the motivation for some Congress leaders to work hard to send Churchill and Dr Willy Souza is understandable as that would leave fewer aspirants on the local turf. Today, public memory is not very short. People want promises to be fulfilled. The two promises of BJP's Ramakant Angle made at the last election have come to haunt him. Angle had promised to demolish Meta Strips brick by brick and had also assured a state of the Art super specialty hospital at Balli in South Goa. He has failed to deliver on both and will find it difficult to make any further promises that people will be ready to believe. Angle's other problem is that he has not kept in touch with the grass root electorate. Sripad Naik may be a nice, ever smiling and soft-spoken. But what goes against him is his non-performance as a Minister. He has been shunted from portfolio to portfolio and he was amongst the ten most unheard of Central ministers as rated by "India Today". The BJP may not agree with this but were all-proud of the same magazine when it rated Goa as the Number One State. Moreover Sripad has never cared to raise in Parliament issues concerning Goa. In the past we had books released on speeches by our Goan MPs in parliament. By Sripad and Angle they may have a few words or sentences uttered to their credit. The other fringe party candidates may receive no serious consideration from the astute electorate. Auda Viegas a spirited activist who I have high regards for is being taken on a jolly good ride by the UGDP a party whose only MLA has been conveniently playing to Chief Minister Parrikar's fiddle. The Shiv Sena has put good candidates but the voters seem to feel that a vote to them will only benefit the BJP just like the Communists both of whose candidates are outstanding leaders but unfortunately have no chance whatsoever of making it to New Delhi this time. The Congress has a rich history and a commendable past. It will have to put its house in order and take this nation in the right path. It is public's feeling that its time the NCP and other like-minded parties merge with their parent body. If the Congress regimes in Goa were corrupt so is the current BJP outfit. But what this BJP regime here and at the Centre has excelled in is Saffronisation and communally tearing the country apart. It is something that has gradually and systematically being carried out and here our sussegad Goans have as usual shown high levels of indifference and tolerance. The feel good factor is deceiving. The India Shining campaign is as deceiving. What feel good factor is the Government bragging about? Erratic water and power supply continues. Rampant corruption goes unabated. In spite of all the computers and e-governance talked about, the common man has bureaucratic nightmares at any department he goes to. Crime rate on the rise and dacoities galore may be making the lawbreakers smile. Life must be really shinning for the beneficiaries of all the IFFI contracts being hurriedly doled out to the friends and chums of the BJP. The BJP may have its secret agenda, which by now is no longer so secret. Panjim may look spruced up and all decorated. But one has to see the long-term damage being done to Goa by Mr. Parrikar brain-washing us with some cosmetic improvements. Parrikar has many questions to answer. He has broken all rules and shown the rarest of flexibility to accommodate the saffrons in all sections of administration. Mr. Parrikar has bowed, bent and hopelessly stooped to all lowly levels to implement his wicked political agenda. Chief Minister Parrikar's attempt to scrap five public holidays including Good Friday and the Feast of St Francis Xavier exposes the evil communal designs of the BJP. The Chief Minister issued the notification but sensing trouble, made an over-night U-turn but did not show statesmanship by apologizing to the people of Goa for having even conceived such a wicked thought. The Chief Minister should not try and bulldoze his saffron aspirations onto the Goan population. Parrikar's agenda should never have taken precedence over the Goan agenda. Free and unfettered Opposition is the key to the success of any democracy. What Mr. Parrikar has being successful at is stifling the voice of dissent and constructive criticism. Another matter of great concern is that the whims and wishes of Mr. Parrikar have manipulated the majority of the Goan Press. Freedom of the Press does not exist Mr. Parrikar knows this better than anyone else and should be honest enough to acknowledge that he is the only Chief Minister who is solely responsible for the current state of the Goan Press. He has left no stone unturned to suppress the Goan Press. It is election time and we are being showered with all sorts of pledges and promises. Let us take the blinkers off and look down the tunnel to see what lies ahead. Temporary and short-term cosmetic touches should not fool us. We have to think of the bigger picture. Elections come as a boon. Its boosts the economy as a lot of black money surfaces. Election campaigns generate a lot of direct and indirect employment and are therefore a blessing for the unemployed. The main down side is that you can find no official in any department. As in the name of election duty they are away and the day to day running of various departments come to a grinding halt. Unless there are radical changes in our election laws the party in power will always have an edge in the elections. In preparations for the polls the Goa Government had transferred Government officials to make sure pliable officers are in place at the relevant positions to ensure the election process works to their advantage. We saw it all so blatantly during the last Goa Assembly elections too. Goa was liberated from Salazar's regime on 19th December 1961 but we will now be truly liberated when we free ourselves from the shackles of the communal and casteist BJP and its bigger salazar Manohar Parrikar. Aires Rodrigues Ribandar ########################################################################## # 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 # ##########################################################################
