GOA TRINAMOOL CONGRESS ON A RED CARPET ROLL… here are new joinees being briefed by Luizinho Faleiro at the Goa TNC new office premises. (L to R) Anthony Peixoto, Rudolfina Vaz, Pratibha Borkar, Luizinho Faleiro, Damodar Ghanekar, Antonio Clovis. The Goa TMC’s roll call of joinees is growing like it is an infection!
By Pankajbala R Patel
THE elections bugle has sounded and everyone is in a hurry to go places! There are many analogies here to draw inspiration from to make up your mind about who should get a chance to win the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Goa. We know the quality of politics and politicians determines the quality of life for a country’s people. There are those so wealthy they need not bother about politics for they can buy and sell whoever is a problem!
At the Goa Trinamool Congress’ brand new impressive office premises in upmarket Panaji it’s all upbeat with the red carpet rolling out for more and more takers for Mamata-didi. They’re welcoming women joyfully. Most are ex-Congress men and women quitting the Congress which it would seem has become a sinking Titanic with all the rats, mice and family leaving their mother ship in a hurry. INC Mahila Wing’s general secretary Priya Rathore thinks she will do better with the Goa TMC, as does the eloquent Swati Kerker, Pratibha Borkar Gaonkar, Diksha Talavanekar.
Earlier joinees to remember here are advocate Yatish Naik and Konkani litterateur N Shivdas, and soon after came Tony Dias, Gandhi Henriques, M Rafeek, Monday Jaffer, Vinod Chaurasiya, Chetan Goswami, Arif Memon and Chandarakant Mahendrekar. Next on the list we heard of INC block office holders Dasarath Mandarekar, Mohammad Khan, Suresh Kodalkar, SP Marathe, Younus Khan, Vijay Mandrekar, Vitobha Gaonkar and Nakul Gaonkar. They’re all on the Goa TMC roll now at a rough estimate one could sum it up at an on going plus list of 300 defectors all. Defection is becoming a way of life in Indian politics.
Quit Congress to join Goa TMC is the new infectious mantra in Goa! The new joinees are garlanded with the TMC’s colourful sash in the presence of TMC’s parliamentary leader in the Rajya Sabha Derek O’Brien and former Congress heavyweight Luizinho Faleiro who blew the bugle or so to speak and undoubtedly continues to call the shots in the run up to the elections in February next year which is very close now. West Bengal’s Chief Minister Mamata Banarjee or Mamata-didi’s photographs beam down on us everywhere in flags, poster and sundry souvenirs. Never has a Bengali woman’s face been flashed around like so much confetti in Goa! Interestingly, there are about 25,000 Bengali families settled in Goa and it would be interesting to find out why they quit life in West Bengal or Kolkata for greener pastures in Goa?
Last heard it was the turn of Dalgado Konkani Akademi’s Celso Fernandes who too has thrown in his hat in the Goa TMC boxing ring, as also former NCP leader Santosh Mandrekar. It makes one wonder if the Goa TMC will ever become the voice of Goans? Only time will tell us! Are Goans such fools? Because it is only on the surface of it that it sounds and looks like there a frantic scramble going on to join one political party or another for the loaves and fishes of power and there’re many more in the fray every time.
Goa TMC’s mini-Kumbh Mela is here anew one more time putting out attractive bait – to reel in unsuspecting or gasping victims. Even the Congress leaders have now got used to the party turning into a training ground for young politicians on the make, who have no qualms abandoning their mother ship once they’ve learned the art of manipulating the nitty gritty political scenarios to their advantage. Few think twice. They scramble, jump, hop, leap over every bit of their conscience to join the honeypot which is clearly the the Goa Trinamal Congress currently!