… and the people be dammed

The BJP government in the state seems to have the least concern for the very people who voted them to power during the 2012 Assembly elections. At that time the corrupt ministers in the Congress government seemed to be a megalomaniac - interested only in amassing wealth.

But in comparison the corrupt Congress is dwarfed by the dishonest, crooked, communal ministers in the current BJP government including the high command who now rules from Delhi. The BJP government in Goa is not dividing communities’ just on communal lines but have now adopted a new strategy of splitting villagers by sponsoring, abetting and pitching neighbours against neighbours in the same locality.

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar

They used this strategy in Pernem. When one group started protesting against airport at Mopa as it would destroy agricultural land, flora and fauna , BJP allegedly groomed another group who began demanded that airport be set-up in Mopa as it would generate employment.

Similar plan was adopted at Tiracol when villagers rose against Leading Hotels who tried to bulldoze the villages to set up golf course in their village.

In Naqueri-Betul too same tactic is being used to counter the protestors. Some villagers sponsored by the BJP are propped up to demand that Defexpo be held in the village.

CM Laxmikant Parsekar

In this manner the social fabric of the society, the secular nature and inherent harmony of the villagers is being slaughtered by the BJP government. And the sooner we get rid of the BJP government in the State and at the Union level is better for Goa and India as a whole.

For the BJP any opposition to its plans are unacceptable, even if it means that their policies are detrimental and disastrous to the people and environment. Instead of engaging with the people and leading citizens along the BJP isolates the general public by imposing their ideas on them. Basically it translates into that the BJP does not believe in Democracy – when it is defined that the Government should be of the people, by the people and for the people as enshrined in the Constitution of India.

Ironically though at some point BJP also finds itself at the smoking end of the rifle as being currently experienced in the Parliament. During the erstwhile UPA rule in the country, BJP would not allow the Parliament to function. The Opposition is using the same scheme to thwart the functioning of the Parliament inspite of Prime Minister begging the Opposition to allow it to conduct business. It is a situation where the ruling political party is getting paid in its own coin.

Be that as it may since it is at the political level where one party or the other play the same games of cat and mouse, but when the government in power starts suppressing people’s voice or dissent through dictatorial means and methods then the citizenry begin to open its eyes which usually leads to revolt. And thankfully that revolt is seen at the time of the elections. In case of full-blown revolution it would end up in bloodshed of tens of thousands of innocent lives and that is what the BJP government in Goa is doing. It is inciting, provoking, goading and testing the patience of Goans by imposing and compelling them to accept their ideas. And to implement those ideas it is pitching villagers, neighbours and families against each other.

Goans had urged the BJP in 2012 to get back some part of huge area that is under the possession of the defence forces. But instead for Chief Minister and current Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar is scouting for more land in Goa for the defence forces.

The military besides possessing huge tracts of land in Rawanfond on the outskirts of Margao and Bambolim-Curca also has land in Panjim and Campal. The land at Bambolim-Curca is so huge covering two villages. The Defexpo could be held there. But instead Manohar Parrikar seems to be acting as the official real-estate dealer for the defence forces.

As a Goan, ruling over the Defence ministry we expected him to issue instructions to the Navy to allow Goans to celebrate their annual feast at St. Anjediva island off the coast of Canacona which belongs to the State, but as a meek puppy Manohar Parrikar has accepted the refusal of the Navy.

Chapel at Anjediva Island

That brings us to another question. If the Navy cannot maintain security for 10 ten days of novenas and feast how can we trust the Navy to give security cover to the entire nation in times war. Or is that the Navy is suspicious that allowing this tradition to continue would mean that Goa is the true owner of the island?

The nitty-gritty and legality of the possession apart, Manohar Parrikar has completely failed us. It was very a weak effort on the part of defenceless Defence Minister to impress us by addressing a press conference to inform that he will conduct an enquiry about the golf course in the land usurped at Dabolim by the Navy.

This golf course has been in existence for more than two decades now and if Manohar Parrikar did not know about it or had heard about it, it is a shame as a former Chief Minister and Opposition leader of the State for many years.

But then the Goans know his tactics very well that he was trying to pull wool over our eyes and distract us from Defexpo.

Mr. Defence Minister Goans are not as gullible or fools as you think.