Key to new Goa leadership is getting around Parrikar cult
Panaji, Sep 17 : There was a rare moment of levity on Monday amid tense ongoing negotiations for a leadership alternative to ailing Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, when a BJP leader, after meeting party's General Secretary (organisation) Ram Lal, said: "If choosing an alternative CM is so difficult, we should just appoint his Principal Secretary P. Krishnamurthy to the post. After all, he's virtually calling the shots in administration without uttering a word for months now."
Krishnamurthy is a 1997-batch Indian Administrative Service officer, has been Parrikar's favourite mandarin for nearly two decades now and has been the IITian's omnipresent shadow, irrespective of Parrikar's stints at the state Secretariat or Defence Ministry in the South Block in Delhi.
According to Ministers in the BJP-led Coalition government, Krishnamurthy is known to wield more authority and say in matters of administration than most Ministers as well as the Chief Secretary himself.
As Ram Lal and his team may have unearthed during their two-day meetings with party officials, MLAs and alliance partners, the most difficult part to deal with as far as finding a replacement for Parrikar is negotiating the cult and coterie of which Parrikar built around himself in his three-decade stint as the state BJP's top boss, without formal appointment.
BJP sources say that in Parrikar's absence, the coterie is perhaps one of Parrikar's most uncomfortable legacies, which the party High Command may have to work their way around with, for choosing a replacement or successor for the Goa BJP's tallest leader ever.
This is especially so, because unlike other states, where a robust organisational set- up serves as a strong framework for BJP's growth, there is no potent organisational hierarchy in place in the upper echelons of the Goa BJP's decision-making elders, who have played a poor second fiddle to Parrikar for far too long.
In case of Goa, both in administration as well as in the ruling party, the cult and coterie have overshadowed formal administrative processes and the "party organisation", as BJP leaders prefer to call it.
"There is no doubt that Parrikar was always our best bet for Chief Minister and our greatest (state) leader. But one also cannot ignore the fact that the state needs to be governed efficiently and that the party organisation needs strengthening. This cannot happen when he is fighting a severe ailment. While we have the CM in our prayers, but for the betterment of the party, government and state, we have to look beyond any individual," a former BJP MLA, who met Ram Lal and other central observers, told IANS.
Over the last two days, nearly all sitting MLAs as well as party state President Vinay Tendulkar, a favourite of Parrikar, have been lobbying with Ram Lal for the Chief Minister to continue.
BJP MLA Nilesh Cabral put it in context perfectly on Sunday.
"Within the BJP, they should find somebody and Parrikar should remain the Chief Minister till he is alive," Cabral said.
Informed sources said that one of the key incidents which hastened the current political crisis is Parrikar's sudden decision to offer Deputy Chief Ministership to Public Works Department Minister Sudin Dhavalikar (Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party), without sanction from the state BJP's core committee -- a fact which riled other alliance partner Goa Forward's Vijai Sardesai.
Both alliance leaders had called on Parrikar on Friday at a private hospital, more than a week after the Chief Minister's return to Goa from the US, during which the former Defence Minister had cut off all communications from Ministers and party workers, including Tendulkar and core committee members.
Ram Lal was briefed about the lengths at which the state BJP leaders had to go through to convince Sardesai that the Deputy Chief Ministership offer made by Parrikar to the Goa Forwar leader's rival was not vetted at all by the BJP state core committee.
Sadguru Patil, a keen political reporter and columnist of a Marathi daily, in a column has put the spotlight on the growing mistrust between Parrikar and the BJP's top brass in the state.
A new CM will inevitably be appointed by the BJP High Command, which is looking to stabilise the power apparatus in Goa, in Parrikar's absence. Whether the new appointee will be able to break through the shackles of the Parrikar cult and the grip of the latter's coterie is anybody's guess.
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“Full prepared..going to win,” Congress MP KC Venugopal ahead of Kerala polls
EC not functioning as a neutral institution: Venugopal
Congress MP K. C. Venugopal on Monday raised concerns over the election schedule announced by the Election Commission of India for the upcoming Kerala Assembly election, questioning the timing of the poll dates and alleging that the schedule leaves limited time for campaigning.
Speaking to news agency ANI in Delhi after the poll panel announced elections in five states and Union Territories, Venugopal said that the Congress and the United Democratic Front (UDF) are fully prepared for the elections and confident of victory. At the same time, he questioned the pattern of dates announced by the Election Commission.
“We are fully prepared, we are going to win the elections... You can see how the Election Commission has set the dates. The first phase of elections is on the 9th, nominations are due until the 23rd, scrutiny is on the 24th, nominations can be withdrawn until the 26th, and after that, there are 11 days for campaigning,” he said.
“As for Kerala, there is Easter and Good Friday in the first week...The Election Commission could have announced the dates earlier... The counting date is on May 4th, so what was the point of holding elections in Kerala so early? What is their intention behind holding elections on the same day in Kerala, Puducherry, and Assam?... We are confident that we will win, but the people of the country are seeing the biased attitude of the Election Commission...,” he added.
He further stated that his party was ready for elections irrespective of the dates announced by the poll body.
“We are going to win the election. India's strategy has been set up. And we are all ready for winning this election. But one thing as far as declaring election, even though they are giving only for five days, we are going to win the election. We have no problem,” he said.
Detailing the poll schedule while questioning the time available for campaigning, he stated, “but you can see the pattern of date which the election commission announced. Yesterday they declared election, and today they notified us. The first phase of election on April 9th, filing of nomination will be over on the 23rd of this month, 24th scrutiny, 26th withdrawal of nomination. After 26, four plus seven, 11 days campaign.”
“As far as Kerala is concerned, April first week is a holy week. The holiday week means, Good Friday is there. Nobody will do anything on Good Friday. Easter is the big festival. These festivals are natural, you have to see that. Among the 11 days, working days, two, three days will go for holidays. Then hardly seven, eight days for campaigning in this election for candidates,” the Congress MP questioned.
The Congress leader said the Election Commission could have announced the dates earlier if there was a need for an early election schedule.
Questioning the urgency behind placing Kerala in the first phase of polling, he added that the counting date is much later.
“Which is the date of counting? Fourth May. Then what is the urgency of putting Kerala in the first phase without giving sufficient time for candidates? And putting Kerala, Puducherry, Assam together, what is the intention behind that?” Venugopal questioned.
He also alleged that the Election Commission was not functioning as a neutral institution.
“The Election commission is completely losing that capacity as a neutral player. You can see 14 of our prime minister's programs over and on the 15th they announce the election, 16th notification comes,” he said.
Venugopal further stated that such tactics would not affect the Congress’ prospects in the election.
“They think that this type of techniques and tactics, because of these techniques and tactics, UDF is going to lose, and Congress is going to lose. This is their complete dream only. This is not going to happen. We are very much confident at any cost, whether they are not giving any time also, we are going to win the election,” he said.
“But the people of India are watching this. The tricks of the election commission. To restrict the campaign, people of India are watching. This I want to bring into the notice of the nation. That's all,” Venugopal said.
The Election Commission of India on Sunday announced the schedule for the Kerala Assembly election. Polling in the state will be held in a single phase on April 9 while the counting of votes is scheduled to take place on May 4.
