Is that a Lotus in Mauvin’s Hand?

PANAJI: Congress rebel MLA from Dabolim Mauvin Godinho is very clear that the only Hand he will shake is BJP’s. And soon.
“I am more inclined towards the BJP and by the time the next elections come, it will be out in black and white,” the former power minister told TOI. He was replying to whether there is any chance of rapprochement with the Congress given reports of former Congressman Churchill Alemao trying to rejoin.
“The question does not arise. The number of people do not matter, the type of people matter. It is like the coming together of spent forces,” the 55-year-old said about the party he has split with in the past. “I am not inclined to be with this motley crowd. Earlier, I kept hoping things would change. But there is no change. Either it is (Pratapsingh) Rane, or Luizinho (Faleiro), or Ravi (Naik).”
His diatribe followed: “What is their real contribution to Goa? SEZ was brought in by Luizinho and we can’t solve this problem even today. It was during Rane’s time that precious Goan land was gifted to all central agencies, including the jurisdiction to MPT right from Mormugao to Betul, despite my protests in the cabinet.
“As CM, he (Rane) was the super-bureaucrat and did not heed anyone. He never had any spine in him and he was never a leader. He always fended for himself and for his son. Where have they protected Goa’s interests? Even the Konkani-Marathi confusion was created because of Rane.
“All these people always had their own personal agenda. Rane was never a Congress leader, he was brought from the MGP which had its mergerist mentality.”
Asked if he’s had any overtures from the Congress, he said he still gets intimations of party meetings.
“They are playing both ways, not knowing what to do,” he alluded to the local unit earlier talking about taking action against rebels.
His inclination towards the BJP, he said, is because the party can make a big difference to India and Goa.
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“I strongly believe the steps initiated by Narendra Modi will yield results from the second year on and perhaps what has not happened in the last five or six decades will happen now, with a sincere person at the helm. We always needed out-of-the-box thinking, out-of-the-box functioning. He is the right answer,” gushed Godinho.
What about BJP’s perceived anti-minority stance, Godinho pointed out, “There were atrocities committed even during Congress rule. In a large and diverse country like India, these things have always happened. I was a personal witness to the Sikh riots. With a right-wing party at the Centre, these things are getting more highlighted. It is the media also, which is now more vigilant and instantly informed, that is causing these cases to be highlighted. There are bright chances of these things not happening in the future.”
He said if there is any one party whose chances are brightest in the 2017 Goa assembly polls, it is the BJP. This he bases on BJP’s infrastructural projects in the pipeline, social security schemes and brightening of chances for mining to resume. “Even if it starts at 50%, it will have a cascading effect on the economy. This mining problem is not of the BJP but of the Congress. In their greed, Congress leaders facilitated mining far beyond acceptable limits.”
Doesn’t he feel there’s some disillusionment with BJP, Godinho said, “You can’t fulfill the sky-high expectations in a jiffy. BJP thought the dirt and muck of the Congress would be cleared within a year but that has not happened. Once that happens, then the building-up exercise will begin. This will happen soon.”
Asked if he is happy with the present BJP government, Godinho said there is room for improvement. For example, mining has to start, the various infrastructure projects like the Zuari bridge have to be completed.