Sacrificing ideology at the altar of power
Goa was where the BJP first pulled off a stunner in 2017 after the Assembly elections by quickly cobbling together a coalition to form a government led by Manohar Parrikar, though it was only the second largest party. The smug Congress was the single-largest party, but it hemmed and hawed before staking its claim to form the new government since it had a surfeit of chief ministerial aspirants and was beaten. With that one stroke, the BJP showed its humongous appetite for power, which was further on display as it captured almost the entire Northeast and drew a chunk of the TDP’s MPs.
In Goa, the story of the BJP’s fragile rule kept surfacing every few months with newer permutations and combinations, including the unfortunate death of Parrikar. The latest churn made the BJP seemingly secure as it engineered the defection of 10 of the 15 Congress MLAs, raising its strength to 27 in a House of 40. The man who led the latest round of defection was Atanasio ‘Babush’ Monserrate, who ironically wrested the Panaji seat vacated after Parrikar’s demise in the April bypolls. Congress president Rahul Gandhi had agreed to field him despite Babush facing charges of rape of a minor girl, which allegedly happened in 2016. Babush is a serial party hopper, who has been with almost all national and regional parties in the state at some point in time.
When news of the latest defection first broke, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant did not look particularly excited. He also underlined the point that there would be no Cabinet expansion in the near future. Days later, he was forced to eat his words and create space for the induction of three defectors into the Cabinet, including Babush’s wife, who is a two-time MLA. With such ambitious, self-serving politicians in his midst, Sawant ought to be worried about his own chair, if not the credibility of his legislative party. When pursuit of power is the only goal, ideology is an aberration and defection a means to an end. Dilution of values follows. But is the party at all concerned?