A regional party for Goa? By *Cleofato Almeida Coutinho* | 24 Feb, 2015, (Herald)
The dismal performance of the Congress at the Panaji by poll despite all round discontent with the BJP candidate has opened up the debate for a new party in Goa. Whether AAP (Goa branch) or a new regional party that shall challenge the BJP is seen in light of the bonhomie of five MLAs (three of them independent) seen at a carnival function at Fatorda. Three years back, the Goa electorate brought what was referred to as ‘parivartan government’ with the avowed objective of tackling corruption, good governance with permanent solution to Goa’s emotive land issue through the regional plan, driving out casinos from the rivers of Goa and booking offenders of illegal mining in Goa. The parivartan wave has now petered out with the new government almost becoming a mirror image of the previous government without a Lokayukta and a functional Information Commission. The Goa government is now just managing doles and schemes to keep the people in good humour. The Congress has not been able to put its act together and function as a responsible Opposition. Its performance in the House inspires no confidence. Outside the House also, the party has failed to function as a responsible Opposition. After the defeat in the 2012 Assembly elections, the Congress has surrendered the Opposition space to an independent MLA. Although the BJP came to power at the Centre after the 2014 LS polls, due to its rigid stance on several issues, it seems the anti-Congress wave is now turning against the BJP. The Delhi elections are to be seen from that perspective. Two States cannot have same terrain. Aam Aadmi Party is certainly a Delhi centric party at the moment. Like Delhi, ours is also a small State. Delhi is cosmopolitan and our tourism industry gives us that colour. We have our own polarizing issues. The Mopa airport has divided the State into north v/s. south. The medium of instruction at the primary school level and the script for the local language are dividing issues. The mining and the coastal tourism belt have different developmental perspectives. There is a huge unemployment problem and yet we do not see manufacturing as good economics area due to the emotive land issue. The then leader of Opposition exploited each of these issues to his party’s advantage but when in power could not deliver on the promises. Religious affiliations between the two major communities is also a divisive factor. Even before the arrival of BJP, the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party had Hindu Bahujan Samaj orientation and as in other parts of the country, BJP was able to master other backward classes herein in Goa also. The Congress with its pan Goa image had its residual vote bank in the Catholic community due to the merger of the United Goans Party. The defeat of the Congress in its Salcete bastion in the 2012 elections could be said to be an aberration, if one looks at the Lok Sabha elections where its candidate performed despite the project ‘mission Salcete’. After the United Goans Party was devoured by the Congress and BJP came on the scene with MGP becoming a marginal player, it was thought that there is no space for regional parties. Nationwide, the Congress has lost its vote share from around 44 per cent during the Nehru years. The single digit in 2015 Delhi elections seems to be continuation of that trend. The Congress is now not only losing the ruling space but also the Opposition space. Yogendra Yadav of AAP is pragmatic in looking at States with bipolar polity. Goa could be on their radar. The Goa AAP was born out of an anti-Congress wave but is yet to evolve into anti-BJP. That will hamper it’s evolution. In Delhi, after its disastrous performance at the Lok Sabha elections, AAP changed its strategy and successfully created a new vote base of the lower classes and the poor consisting of nearly 56-60 per cent of Delhi’s population. That is the major difference between Delhi and Goa. With the vote base of the poor in Goa estimated at just 20 per cent, can any third party bank on this? Putting the local politics in proper perspective, if the Congress in Goa does not take immediate steps to shore up its muscle by robust actions, the party is extremely vulnerable. Whether it is N T Ramarao in Andhra Pradesh or Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal or Arvind Kejrival in Delhi, they successfully created space for a regional force by catching the imagination of the people. The Delhi experiment, in particular the so called new politics free from influence of big money and independent of caste and religious affiliations is shouldered by 10 to 12 full time young and bright minds who besides Arvind Kejriwal presented a credible alternative. The performance of those minds who risked their careers shall be judged in a few months from now. The present unpopular government which promised the change that never came and the ineffective Opposition party seem to be laying foundation for an alternative. In an era of anti-BJPism (since BJP is now the main pole), if any alternative is brought, the Congress will be immediate casualty as it stands shattered at the center and in the States. Obviously, any new alternative shall have to be at the cost of Congress with certain inroads into the BJP’s core constituency. But who are those credible Goans who can catch the imagination of the people with a credible alternative? (The writer is a practicing lawyer, senior faculty in law and political analyst)
