After Shiv Sena MLAs left the shores of Goa, new political upheaval commenced in the state. The Congress MLAs in Goa desired to defect and join the BJP. They intended to garner two-thirds of MLAs so that they do not have to resign and face their electorate again. These rebels were almost reaching the magic number and then something unthinkable happened. The Congress party (that was not defecting) did something unprecedented. In a late evening media briefing, the desk in charge of the Congress party Dinesh Gundu Rao along with five Congress MLAs declared that a mutiny was brewing in the party. He asserted it is led by two of their senior leaders – the leader of the opposition Michael Lobo and former CM Digambar Kamat.
The Congress Party chose to pre-empt their legislative party. They held on to their remaining MLAs ensuring that Lobo and Kamat did not succeed in obtaining the two-thirds figure. It was a swift and politically smart move. Interestingly, the leader of the opposition was huddled in the CM's official residence when the Congress desk in charge was levelling these incendiary charges. There were more MLAs harboured there along with Lobo. Digambar Kamat claimed he was celebrating Ashadhi Ekadashi at his home.
In a very uncharacteristic manner, Congress filed a disqualification petition against their leader of opposition Lobo and seniormost MLA Kamat. The party overnight resolved to sack Lobo as the leader of the legislative party. They intimated the speaker of the house to that effect. Within days, they sacked Digambar Kamat from the post of the permanent invitee to the AICC. The party continues to claim that efforts are still ongoing to engineer a split in their legislative party. The monsoon session of the Goa legislative assembly is on. The party decided to fly and shelter 5 of its MLAs in Chennai fearing a split. The party optically conceded that it does not have more than 50% of its MLAs in its fold anymore. The Congress has 11 MLAs in Goa. The aspiring rebels require 8 MLAs to defect and merge with the BJP without invoking the penal clauses in the tenth schedule of the constitution.
The BJP was quick to react. We have no 'hand' in what is transpiring and it is an internal matter of the Congress party, they stated. It was a botched-up operation and the BJP leadership in the state did not want to come across as inept. So here is a situation where Congress contends that the BJP is creating a split in their party and the BJP is categorically denying it.
The fact remains an operation was put into motion. It got paused. But here is an intriguing fact – it was not put into motion by the BJP. The Congress MLAs hatched the plan. A group of these MLAs approached the BJP leadership in Delhi. Their erstwhile colleague in the Congress who is now a powerful politician in the BJP mediated. These MLAs portrayed an assuring picture of confirmed numbers before the BJP high command. BJP leadership got drawn into this plan. Their principal rival in the state was imploding without any effort from their side. Why not? They pondered and notified their regional leadership to execute the plan by tightening some nuts and bolts.
By the time BJP's local leadership arrived equipped to tighten the situation, Congress' plan was already falling apart. Hectic efforts were employed to salvage the situation, but Dinesh Rao was already live with his presser.
Although Congress has dismissed Michael Lobo from the post of the opposition leader, his seating arrangement in the assembly hasn't altered. Congress cannot decide about the new leader as they are not sure whom to trust. The party is mindful that most of the remaining MLAs lingered with the party not out of faithfulness but due to insufficient numbers on the other side.
Michael Lobo still asserts he is with the party and isn't involved in any anti-party activities to invite a disqualification petition. Digambar Kamat on the other side is particularly vocal about his displeasure with Congress and is inclined to quit at an opportune time. Rest are biding their time.
All of these men had sworn on affidavits that they wouldn't defect. More importantly, from the public perspective, they had pledged in front of gods, in a temple, a church and a dargah that they wouldn't betray their party. Those videos have gone viral now.
As a non-Congress, non-BJP senior MLA enlightened me: the operation failed as it was run by the Congressmen. It wouldn't have if the BJP was micro-managing it.
The leading question remains - why is this happening with Congress every time? Most of these leaders see no future with the party. They have an ear to the ground with a finger on the pulse of the electorate. They see despair and find absolutely no support from the party apparatus to manage their matters. Most of them do not see it as disloyalty towards the party. For them, it is about survival and self-preservation.
Goa is a peculiar dynamic because the BJP has comfortable numbers to run the government. Of course, they don't mind more, moreover when the numbers are offered on a platter. The BJP in all likelihood will attempt to finish what the Congress MLAs have started. The Congress party should comprehend that it is doing more harm than good to our democratic set-up and opposition's space by conducting itself the way it is now.
Pramod Acharya is a senior journalist and columnist, and the editor of Prudent Media, Goa. He tweets at @PramodGoa
