http://www.oheraldo.in/newscategory/Opinions/14
The struggle for special status EUGENE CORREIA A national drama is slowly unfolding with the general elections just a few months away. There are no certainties. Between today and the elections, parties that seem sure of winning may not achieve their goal. In this tussle for votes, the voter is king. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) may be the projected leader in public polls, but polls don't necessarily mean victory in reality. The way the BJP members and supporters are going about their business it would seem that they already have victory in their pockets. If the prime-minister-in-waiting, Narendra Modi helpsto swing the BJP to power then his dream will have been achieved. He has so far sold himself well as a man of the masses - a tea seller who has proved that one can rise above one's station in life to an improbable position. It's a big leap for him and the party that's been floundering in its search for viable leaders. Modi commands a mass following. It's another matter that there are mixed reports on Gujarat from both economical and sociological points of view. Modi's boast about Gujarat's progress may be just vainglorious, though he's business-friendly with close affinities to Mukesh Ambani and Ratan Tata. For Modi the journey from Gujarat to Delhi may be at hand. If he succeeds, it will undoubtedly be better for the BJP government in Goa. Modi's vaunted promise of special status, a trophy that Goans seek desperately, may indeed be fulfilled. The cause of special status has been an all-consuming issue over the years. When in power, the Congress failed to act on it and, thereby, lost a glorious chance to win over these diehard Goans. No doubt they made the usual noises in Delhi but they didn't push hard enough to make special status a reality. Now the worm has turned, with the ruling party going all hog for special status. But this status won't come on a platter. The issue is contentious, but it must seen as a natural corollary to the Opinion Poll, a pivotal part of Goa's history. Unfortunately, the leaders of the Opinion Poll movement didn't attach special status as a corollary to its success. Since the MGP was ruling Goa with its aim to merge the territory with Maharashtra, there was neither the need nor any sense for the party to insist on this status. But since this has now become the new ballgame, the Congress too has taken to playing it seriously. An assurance from Rahul Gandhi to Goa Congress leaders on delivering special status is a counter measure against the BJP. It has become a bargaining chip for Goan votes. In fact, whichever party triumphs in the parliamentary elections, it's a win-win situation for Goa. If Congress continues its rule post-elections and if the party regains power in Goa, it would give an opportunity for the party to shut the mouths of those who time and again remind us of Jawaharlal Nehru's assurance of maintaining Goa's identity. Since Nehru died in 1964, there was little done to act on his assurance. Besides, Goa was settling down to a new dawn. If Nehru had lived longer, special status, perhaps not in total form but with many salient features, may have been his gift to Goa. But there's little point in hankering over what might have been. And the political climate immediately after Goa became free didn't help Goa's case for special status. The MGP shocked the Congress in those early times of free and democratic Goa, shattering that dream. Only in recent times has there been a rise in tempo to make it a primary election issue. Joining the national parties are regional parties. There's an echo chamber-like effect on the electorate. With all Goa parties making special status a major election plank, voters may well wonder who to believe in and look for other items on the party manifestos to judge where their votes must go. The Aam Admi Party (AAP) is readying to contest 250 parliamentary seats across the land. After the ruckus it created in Delhi on coming to power, the AAP has gone from being a bright light in Indian politics to an over-ambitious and over-indulgent party. Depending on one's view, the party is either seen as a good-for-all vehicle or a bunch of self-promoting novices who don't believe in the law but are a law unto themselves. Where the Goa AAP stands vis-à-vis its supporters can only be gauged when it takes part in the parliamentary poll. Goans are not singing for it from the rooftops but are keeping a guarded eye on it. It may not surprise anyone if the party too joins the chorus on special status. What is clear is that the party which succeeds in achieving this singular aim will indeed be considered special. --- Eugene Correia
