This week the BJP will complete five years of its rule in Goa. The government has to be assessed on the ‘Goa Vision Document 2012-2017’, that was released by the Party in the run-up to the March 2012 Assembly elections and its blatant acts of gross misdeeds.
It has been an unending string of U Turns and reneged promises. Despite having been given a clear mandate, the BJP failed to deliver on the ‘Parivartan’ that it had promised by way of Good governance and Zero tolerance to corruption. It has been rampant corruption and scams galore. We have witnessed total nepotism and sheer display of arrogance.
The BJP had promised the moon by way of a Golden Goa and Acche din but has reneged on almost every promise while violating every possible law. On March 9th 2012 Manohar Parrikar took over as Chief Minister by unnecessarily burdening the State exchequer with those Rs.11 lakhs squandered on that pompous swearing-in ceremony on SAG grounds at Campal instead of having that customary function at Raj Bhavan.
On 8th November 2014 Manohar Parrikar moved on to Delhi to be Defence Minister while officially passing on the baton to Laxmikant Parsekar but remained Goa’s de-facto Chief Minister while Goans continued bearing the brunt of a government enveloped in confusion, contradictions and controversies.
In its ‘Vision Document’ the BJP vowed that Annual Performance Reports of every government department would be prepared and publicized. This did not happen. Also promised was participatory governance at village level as envisaged in the 73rd and 74th amendments, which too, did not see the light of the day. Promised was a new Agricultural policy to make agriculture more rewarding but all that we have witnessed is the continued sight of fields and hills being converted into concrete jungles. We were assured a new regional plan keeping in mind Goa’s identity, but was no plausible progress in that direction while a selected coterie of builders having a field day with constructions mushrooming everywhere without the much needed provision for basic infrastructure of electricity, water, parking, sewage and garbage disposal.
To ensure regular, uninterrupted power supply the BJP had promised that the whole of Goa would have underground cabling in five years and that the State would be plastic-free in three years which has also not happened. The promise that a garbage management system would be in place in 18 months is still a distant dream. The government has miserably failed in its promise of 12 hours-a-day uninterrupted drinking water within two years. Also not appointed is the promised Minority Commission. Contrary to the 2012 assurance, the six-lane Zuari Bridge was not a priority but instead the third bridge over the Mandovi was tendered first so that the party could pocket a huge kickback. Let the government enlighten us as to how many Non-Resident Goans (NRGs) it has encouraged and in what manner, for Goa’s development, as promised in that Vision document. The BJP has only played to the gallery on the issue of Special Status but has done nothing to control the alarming and unacceptable levels of migration into Goa.
We were assured that in three months garbage strewn along the roads would be cleared. Apart from a mere cosmetic exercise on some roads, the garbage situation statewide has instead turned critical with even the beach cleaning contract being a multi-crore scam. The BJP has not had the spine to even deliver on its promise of banning plastic bags.
Escalating level of crime is a matter of grave concern while political interference in police functioning is turning Goa into a lawless State. The promise to get rid of the Casinos from the River Mandovi was another cruel joke. The BJP had promised that Professionals and not Politicians would head Corporations and other bodies but to our utter dismay, all the Corporations were loaded with political cronies including many who were defeated at the 2012 Assembly elections.
The various schemes launched to pay doles and build vote banks were in bad taste. Welfare measures cannot be treated as gifts of the ruling party but have to meet the needs of the deserving. Even on the Medium of Instruction (MOI) issue there has been an oscillating volte face. While in the Opposition, the BJP had always vociferously criticized the wasteful expenditure of Ministers and MLAs on unnecessary travel, but the current Ministers and MLAs have jetted around while draining an already depleted exchequer. With so much hype on e-governance, Goa’s bureaucracy is bloating by the day. Despite the current financial crisis, the BJP has hired thousands more to accommodate party cadres with merit not being the criteria.
In his first budget speech in 2012, the then Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar had assured that every Department would implement e-governance within 18 months. But sadly, most government websites continue dysfunctional or remain not updated. The ‘aam aadmi’ is now paying much more for every government service. Even the fee for a Power of Attorney which was earlier Rs.50/-, shot up to Rs.500/-.
Even in its last days this government was on a spree tendering new projects and laying more foundation stones despite a mountain of incomplete projects all over. It has also extravagantly doled out freebies to attempt luring the voters. But all this is a sign of very bad governance – when a State sponsors fun and frolic more so when its coffers are empty. The government which has been on a borrowing spree cannot sustain such lavish spending. The BJP’s promises have ended up like China-make goods, with neither a guarantee nor warranty.
The BJP to somehow hang on to Power, towards its fag end attempted to even high-handedly breach the basic provisions of the Constitution by trying to avoid holding that required Assembly session. But after judicial intervention, as was expected it held that five minute sham session which was nothing but a murder and mockery of democracy.
The BJP did not honour that faith and trust the people of Goa had reposed in the party. The actions of the government speak for themselves. We were hoping that the ‘Parivartan’ in 2012 would be for the better. But the tormented common man today moans as we landed from the frying pan into the fire. The people’s verdict on this government will be known when the votes are counted on 11th of March.
