Over the last five years the Congress as the principal Opposition party in Goa has abdicated its responsibility and has been a desolate disaster on every front. The Congress Legislature Party (CLP) headed by the very meek and dormant Pratapsingh Rane did not hold a single meeting attended by all its handful of MLAs. And with most Congress MLA’s having gory skeletons galore, the BJP government was successfully able to tame and silence them all to oblivion.
Reginaldo Lourenco has been the only Congress MLA who consistently and fearlessly took on the misdeeds of the BJP Government. And if it was not for the very vocal Independent MLAs Naresh Sawal, Rohan Khaunte and Vijai Sardessai, the BJP government with all its misdeeds would have had a field day.
As Leader of Opposition Pratapsingh Rane enjoyed all the perks but did not perform inside or outside the Legislative Assembly. Instead of taking the BJP head on, Pratapsingh Rane miserably failed to do justice to his post while staying mute as a mouse to all the illegalities committed by the BJP. He infact covertly cosied with the BJP, possibly to safeguard himself from the saffron retribution.
Pratapsingh Rane’s initial innings as Law Minister under Goa’s first Chief Minister Dayanand Bandodkar in 1972 was commendable, a post in which he continued to hold under Goa’s second Chief Minister, Mrs. Shashikala Kakodkar. Pratapsingh Rane’s first stint as Chief Minister in 1980 was also good, while he even drove his own Premier Padmini car to attend private functions. On what followed in the later years, less said the better as it is all part of history with Goa having evolved as a laboratory for political experiments.
After having been an MLA for 45 long years Pratapsingh Rane by now should have groomed a youth from his constituency to be his successor and should have gracefully called it a day. But a very astute politician that he is, Pratapsingh Rane has always been able to grab a Chair. From 1972 Pratapsingh Rane has had the best of times with Power and the Red beacon never ever having eluded him.
Pratapsingh Rane has not been able to stay aloof from power while he has shrewdly maneuvered his way around the political game board. In 2012 Pratapsingh Rane had vowed it would be his last election, but at 78 he has contested the Assembly elections this time around too.
But he now needs to be put to pasture though he may still have dreams of becoming the Chief Minister again. For the sake of Goa, it’s time to hang up your boots and call it a day, Mr. Rane. If you are elected on March 11th, for the next five years please courteously stay as a mere MLA and guide the new government without a Red beacon.
Mr. Rane, please don’t cry because it’s over, but smile because it happened. Posterity will remember you for this long overdue and gracious act.
