Two former Congress MLAs leapfrogged into the BJP leaving the Congress holding their action plans in their hands, and not much more. It is sad and funny, and a lot of people will laugh and cry at the same time reminding us how fact is stranger than fiction. Charlie Chaplin is great but even he could not have written a drama on this level of creativity, paradox and complete befuddlement.
Several former Congress MLAs who are now in the BJP have been giving the Congress a headache for years, and the recent criss-crossing of two Congress MLAs over to the BJP side is beyond imagination of a lot of people of both parties. Is what is happening in Goa good for Indian democracy? Or even the BJP or Congress Party? Critics who don't like the BJP have conveniently forgotten how the BJP got into the driver's seat and control of the power switch prior to the last election. The Goan voter was so disgusted with the corruption in the Congress Party, the people could take no more! In the last election, no doubt, the Congress had the bigger majority but unfortunately the big oldwigs were too busy fighting among themselves to notice anything else. Apparently, all the oldies wanted to become Chief Minister! It is indeed funny how the Congress spouts criticism of the death of democracy when they are an inbred corrupt party on the national scene; in Goa there is a group which will not allow younger people to swim to the surface for a breather. The old-wine-in-charge who was given an allegedly onerous task of bringing in young new blood obviously gave himself a youthful transfusion of new blood despite being way up there as for his age. He was among the so-called young candidates selected by himself to stand for election. Give him due credit though as he won, and winning is everything even though we are Goans and not Americans! What's next, Congress? As I told Girish Chodankar a while back, the oldies have to go or the Congress has to go. Is there a third option? Now it appears, oldwigs are here to stay and I was wrong. I'm a bad commentator on politics, and maybe other subjects, too. I'm shocked at my own naivety and can now see clearly the writing on the wall. Is it Girish Chodankar who might have to go? If it is so, it will be no surprise at all but where will the big oldwigs put him? Can there be a place of importance for him? As we all know, in a corrupt society the honest man is the trouble maker! The voter, in this highly charged political atmosphere of Goan politics has finally realized how he is not even worth his weight in garbage. Sad but true. With several Congressmen crossing over to the BJP without any coercion it looks strange to me, and a great number of people in Goa. Is this a BJP-Congress tie up? Never has Goa seen a coalition government of this complexity which includes the amoral Goa Forward Party, among others. How do we address the MLAs who have crossed over from the Congress Party to BJP? Do we have to write, former-Congress-MLA-now-BJP-Minister of …? They have a heavy burden to carry on their shoulders. If in the coming by-election the Congress wins the two seats, then other Congressmen will have to voluntarily join the BJP. The magic number no doubt is three, two to replace the lost two seats and souls and one more to showcase the BJP victory. How will the Congress Party rein in their MLAs until the next by-election is the all-important question. Will they hire a submarine and secure them twenty thousand leagues under the sea? I think it is a good idea if the oldwigs in the Congress Party jump ship or hop on the BJP political bandwagon as other Congressmen have done with great skill and pride. We all appreciate how there is much to learn from these old Congress politicians. The old Congressmen can bring their much envied political skills to the job at hand after they join the BJP, and also bring prestige to their portfolios. We can always refer to them as the erstwhile-Congressman-now-BJP-Minister of …. Sounds impressive, does't it?
