On 14th June 2020, Goa Forward
party supremo Vijay Sardessai on his 50th birthday, apologized to
the Goans and said it was his political mistake to support the BJP government
after the demise of chief minister late Manohar Parrikar.
Undoubtedly, Sardessai is trying to pull wool
over the eyes of his constituents and Goans at large. He very well knows that
the political ground under his feet is shaky and hence the tricks.
It is not that Sardessai did not carve out
lion’s share from the Pramod Sawant government. He surely did. After retaining
plum and lucrative portfolios allotted by the Parrikar dispensation, he forced
the chief minister Sawant to swear him as his deputy. And obviously, the Dy. CM
tag will be under his name lifelong.
So this pretentious apologizing or asking for
mercy for so called political mistake is a complete hogwash.
When Pramod Sawant was sworn-in as CM, he was
seen as a soft target as compared to the arrogant, despotic Parrikar. But the
former proved otherwise for ambitious politicians, who are now spewing venom.
Question that arises is why would any chief
minister drop his cabinet colleagues like hot potatoes. To my mind there are
only two reasons. Firstly the ministers could be grossly inefficient. Second
reason could be that the ministers had become too big for their boots and the
CM was losing control over his cabinet. The second option to my mind is more
relevant as it was rumoured that GFP was getting out of hand and running
parallel governance. Given Vijay’s mindset I personally do not rule it out.
If at all Fatorda MLA has to apologize, he
has address it on a public stage and not from the top of his ‘Goemkar Ghor’. He
has to ask pardon from those credible citizens who believed in him and went out
of their way to convince other voters to cast their franchise for Vijay. He has
to apologize to those who stood by him when he criticized Parrikar and BJP from
public stage.
And he has to ask forgiveness from voters who
wanted a change in Goa from the communal rule of the BJP and reduced the
numbers of the BJP in 2017 assembly elections and opened an opportunity for
other parties to form a government.
It is Vijay Sardessai, through backdoor
manipulations and self benefitting politics extended his support to the BJP and
brought the communal party back to power. To rub salt to the wounds he
facilitated the return of autocratic and dictatorial Manohar Parrikar to Goa as
CM.
Not only from the top of his new building, he
could shout from the tallest peak in Goa, Goans will never forgive him for
back-stabbing them. Voters of Fatorda were not very happy with his performance
early also and that can be gauged from the slender winning margin of 1300-1500
voters he had over his closest rival.
His voters and Goans at large have seen through
the working and tidings of the Goa Forward party president and now they not
only wiser but are better informed who they want as their representative in the
assembly at the next hustings.
At the gathering on his birthday to mark 50
years, Fatorda MLA said, his party won’t aid the establishment of such a
government in Goa in the future. For his party, BJP was finished after the
death of Parrikar. He said, we will never let BJP rule the state in future.
This man is a chameleon; these are utter lies
because GFP continues to be part of the NDA government and the question why?
Sardessai claims that incumbent chief
minister does not have a Goan heart. Basically he wants to say that the Sawant
is not a Goan, but it did not bother him when he was being made the deputy CM. Did
Vijay Sardessai sell his ‘Goem, Goemkar and Goemkarponn’ to ghattar at that
point?
There are lot of fingers pointing at Pramod
Sawant for having bought land in Goa being a non- Goan. At the same time as
many fingers are pointing towards Vijay Sardessai for having sold Goa’s land to
outsiders. Hence there is not much of a difference between a Goan like Vijay
and non-Goan like Pramod Sawant.
Ironically Sardessai still praises and
worships the worst chief ministero of Goa late Manohar Parrikar who did not
allow any Goan to rise to take over the reins of Goa after him, but allowed a
non-Goan to the CM of Goa for the first time in the history of Goa. And that is
the reason that the non-Goan CM is building Parrikar’s memorial violating all
CRZ norms.
Vijay Sardessai the trickster that he is, is
keeping his option open. In case chief minister Pramod Sawant is replaced by
his party for inefficiency and maladministration, he will have no qualms of
jumping on to the BJP bandwagon.
Health minister Vishwajeet Rane visiting Fatorda
to greet Sardessai on his birthday gives credence that there is likely to be an
overhauling in the BJP and the junior Rane who recently crossed swords with
Sardessai is pulling strings to present his strength for the top post.
The former Dy. CM of Goa who was dropped
unceremoniously in July 2019 rightly admitted that Goans are suffering because
of his mistake. And that he and his party men are ready to seek penance.
Penance he has too voluntarily, otherwise his voters will make him do it.
On 18th June 2020, Goa’s
Revolution Day, let us resolve to take Goa ahead without Goa Forward.