I happened to bump into Girish Chadonkar the other day, the newly-appointed Congress Party Goa President . I recognized him from his photo as he appears often in the newspapers lately. I took the opportunity to introduce myself. My name didn't ring a bell but a few bells did ring in my mind, and in my ears, too.
It was a brief conversation but I remember this part well: "The old leaders of the Congress have to go," I said. "Otherwise, the Congress will have to go." "Very true," was his reply. I hope he will not regret his words as he merely agreed with an axiomatic statement. But can the newly-appointed Congress Party Chief in Goa ask the old leaders to pack their bags and leave for Hawaii or any other place of their choice? We all know how the Congress failed to form the government in Goa because there was in-fighting as to the choice of the chief minister. It was the all-important issue for every elected Congress MLA. It has been said often enough if there are a dozen elected Congress MLAs there will be a baker's dozen to claim the Chief Minister's chair. And, this time it was the same old story. That is the magic of the Congress Party. Meanwhile, the BJP's Dirty Tricks Department swooped down and claimed the majority, formed the government, and also the chief minister's chair. A lot of people in India were surprised at their disregard of parliamentary procedure and democratic principles. Now, after what has happened in Karnataka it is the BJP who is surprised. Again, the people are surprised; but this time they are surprised because the BJP is surprised! Are there going to be any more surprises as ethics and moral principles are dead and buried, and almost anything is acceptable in politics today? I hope not as my blood pressure can't take any more of it. Anyway, to get back on track, will the oldies ride into the sunset with an air of dignity? After all, they have been around for too long in politics and it is time for a well-earned rest. Haven't they made enough of a mess of Goa in the past? The BJP continues this tradition by giving Goans what we do not want! If you ask for a 5-metre road you will have great difficulty getting it. Try asking for a 20-metre road and your answer and gift will arrive before the end of the year. That is the way it is in Goa today. Government is Santa Claus, only better. Big roads, big bridges, big buildings. For Goans? Wake up, please, and smell the caju fenny. Of course it is for the moneybags from all over India and the world. Everybody loves Goa, everybody wants to invest in Goa. What's wrong with it? If Goa is too small a state, go vertical. Follow the leader Singapore, Hong Hong or you own favorite V-city. Everything, dear voter, has an angle to it no matter how innocent it may appear on the surface; a beach, a hill or a plateau. Take a closer look and you will be in for a surprise! Never mind sustainable development and, anyway, governments are in too much of a hurry to notice environmental damage. That is a problem for future generations, not government. The job of government is to promote development and, anyway, we who are living today will all be dead! So, why all the fuss and paranoia? New blood in old bodies will only pollute the new blood. The old corrupt political bodies have promised Goans in the past the world, jobs and whatnot. They have failed miserably to deliver the goods again and again. Which is not to say they have not prospered and become wealthy. No corruption in mining we are told! Really? Everyone who was involved in mining for years knows there was a great amount of corruption by both governments. Thousands of people know it first hand and have benefitted from it. But here's the clincher: no proof means there is no corruption and nobody goes to jail. Can Girish Chodankar bring in new blood with new bodies too? Not without a little help from his friend Rahul Gandhi. And, let's not forget, new minds with some creative thinking skills to bring the Goan economy out of the morass it has sunk into and, sinking deeper..
