Dears, Let us look at Vinay's eulogy .... point by point. My comments are interspersed below.
Date: Thu, 1 Nov 2007 03:00:46 -0700 (PDT) From: Vinay Natekar <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Goanet] Manohar Parrikar - Best CM Goa had ever Goa made all round progress in short tenure under dynamic leadership of Manohar Parrikar. In terms of Governance by BJP from Oct 2000 to Feb 2005 Goa attained a top slot in all fields and was adjudged the best and model state of India in Year 2003. Comment: Goa did not have a continuous reign of Parrikar from 2000 [when he grabbed power with just 10 BJP MLAs and a docen turncoats!] to 2005. It was a two term Govt. of a two-timing CM ...2000 to 2002 and 2002 to 28 January 2005 ...with a spell of administration by the Governor of Goa. Parrikar, like Sardinha, has never lasted a full term of 5 years ... or even till the end of one term like Luis Proto Barbosa! And you call him the BEST ? Check to find out if your definition of "Best" can be found in any Dictionary. INDIA TODAY magazine does not even begin to have a statistical model to guage the performance of a state. It is like the SMS voting for "Indian Idol" or "Voice of India" ...and equally unreliable. Liberalisation changed the Center State equation, starting with the premiership of A.B.Vajpayee, states gained greater autonomy because of political leverage at the center. Comment: Was the Economics Professor and IMF guru, Dr. Manmohan Singh, the Finance Minister of A.B. Vajpayee or of Narasimha Rao, dear? Please check your GK. It changed both business environment & quality of life during Parrikar?s efficient and dynamic administration. Goa had suddenly turned into country?s growth engine. During this period Goa attained overflowing investment because of growth in environment & infrastructure facilities which were more accessible to new Ventures. Comment: The over-flow was siphoned into the BJP coffers, I presume. The quality of life changed for the worse, unless a walk on the Panaji Promenade is cited as a positive attribute of health. For instance Dr. Reddy's proposal to set up a formulation plant in Goa was cleared just in 15 days and second example when pharma major Cipla approached IDC chairman Rajendra Arlekar for expanding its Verna plant, the company was told to start right away and IDC would clear its paper work within a fortnight. Comment: So also Cipla sister organisation, Meditabs Specialities Ltd was given the Keri Plateau at Bhutkhamb -Ponda [vacated by Thapar DuPont's Nylon 6,6 project at the BJP's instigation] by the BJP-led Parrikar regime and the BJP cadres were busy taking the i-Pill to abort the meditabs SEZ in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections last month. What was the amount of the "Speed Money" paid to the BJP, dear? Perhaps, they let you know the secret. The credit for improved overall performance during BJP rule goes undoubtedly to Parrikar for his far sightedness. Comment: "Performance" as in a natak, I presume. Parrikar is a good street actor. During this spell Goa was freed from stagnation of power. Comment: And Digamber Kamat was the Power Minister who achieved it ... single-handedly according to Congressman Digu-baba [Meaning "nagddo" according to the BJP campaign in Margao after he exposed its butt in Jaipur.] Liberated from past hands of rascals, rogues and free booters. For many years Goa was misruled by corrupt Congress leaders who had sweet tongues but crooked hearts, they fought among themselves for power due to which Goa was lost in political squabbles. Comment: This description fits the BJP when it was in power, too. The Congressmen only offered to house the homeless BJP ex-Governor ... the BJP offered dogs to the incumbent Governor of Goa. Uncouth, one would think ...even if they were just BJP men ;-( Along with power shift there was a change in political culture as most efficiently shown by Parrikar as most progressive Chief Minister. Goa had achieved political stability in contrast to having 12 Chief Ministers in a span of a decade. Comment: The same man becoming CM twice in 4 years is STABILITY? Are you referring to "stable" as in "gothra" [cowshed], by any chance, dear?? Parrikar himself a Metalurgical Engineer from IIT Mumbai was instrumental in transforming Goa into Investment hotspot making it one of the top Indian state. It was Parrikar along with his BJP MLAs charted out an economic blueprint for the state's resurgence with ambitious Industrial policy. Comment: So why is the BJP agitating against the very SEZs that they introduced to Goa ...washed down with the "Morning after" i-Pill? Did the metallurgist suddenly realise that the Copper-T has more metal in it and is equally effective?? I do not know about a blueprint ....but the BJP Government with Parrikar as CM and Education Minister made a VCD about Goa's Freedom Struggle that was close to being a bluefilm. O! Deva, Ramesh Deo-va!! It almost brought a Hindutva resurgence. [Please note that "Hindutva" is the opium of the politicians and has very little to do with the Indian way of life called Hinduism, as a collective noun. Aware of the fact that tourism, mining and chemical industries alone would not sustain the state for ever, Parrikar concluded that Goa's future lay in the growth of eco friendly Industries that would tap the state's skilled manpower resources. After sweeping into power just within a year's span Parrikar first had to set in order a quantum of tasks. He first sounded a zero tolerance policy against corruption. Comment: That is not one thinks of IFFI [INOX, Kala Academy, Jetty,Promenade, Event management, etc], Meditabs, etc! Next his Government turned around the ailing Electricity Board which was in a very bad state following power scandal by erstwhile Congress power minister. Parrikar brought down transmission and distribution losses from 44 per cent to 18 percent. The results; tariffs had been reduced and the Electricity Board in the same year aggregated a whopping Rs. 100 crore in profits. Comment: Goa does not have an Electricity BOARD to this day. You are not talking of the DB panel, I presume? The development trend was in other segments too, the state's IDC was revitalized in addition to sops like capital investment subsidy schemes and tax holidays. Industries were given unheard incentives like 30 per cent employment investment and instant clearance for capacity expansion. Comment: Using Rajendra Arlekar as the fall guy, even Parrikar's brother is said to have benefitted from the EDC largesse ...the "unheard incentives like 30 per cent employment investment" Wah, Vinay, wah!! Parrikar kickstarted the infrastructure drive. Smooth tar carpets were laid over Goa's roads and four lane highways were linked to industrial estates with airport and seaport. Comment: And a handful of Youth Congress leaders under Girish Chodankar were arrested and sent to five different jails all over Goa ...for protesting when the month old tar peeled off the main Cidade de Goa to Nova Cidade causeway at Ribandar Patto during the Parrikar regime. A cyberage scheme which was a brainchild of Parrikar saw the Government spending Rs. 10 crore in distributing Computers at a nominal Rs. 1000. He had a dream of equipping one fourth of state's two lakh households with computers averaging in par with the developed countries. Comment: This was undoubtedly a good scheme. Even the Congress Government adopted it .... and expanded it. Give the devil his due. The most parameter during Parrikar regime Goa had performed well above the national average. It was very unfortunate that his opponents could not digest his achievements and succeeded in pulling down the well performing Government by instigating split among his coalition partners. Comment: Manohar Parrikar never WON even a simple MAJORITY of the seats in the Legislative Assmbly. Once it was 4, the second time it was 10 and the third time it was 17. If his Government was good, the sympathy vote would have given him 25 seats in June, 2007 ...... his party won ONLY 16 seats !! That is a climb down. You suppose all the Goans are fools not to recognise what manohar Parrikar and the BJP really is. If yes, I am happy to be with the majority ..... of the Majority comminity, too. Goa should have such a dynamic Chief Minister for at least a consecutive 10 years which would turn our Goa into Singapore. Comment: Sure. But it cannot be manohar Parrikar or the BJP. He never lasted more that 2.5 years ........ and the BJP never won a majority !! So there! Vinay Comment: Care to put out your local address and phone number so we know who you are? Mog asundi. Miguel -- -.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-. Miguel Braganza, S1 Gracinda Apts, Rajvaddo, Mhapsa 403507 Goa Ph 9822982676 [EMAIL PROTECTED] -.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.