He has been the star campaigner for the BJP. From deciding candidates to managing the campaign, Union defence minister and former chief minister
Manohar Parrikar has been the face of the party in Goa. At the party office in Panaji, Parrikar opens up to TOI on his return to Goa, corruption, remote control governance and chances of the party forming the next government.
Excerpts:TOI: Only a few days are left for Goa to go to polls, how do you see your party faring in the election?
Parrikar: I think that the people of Goa have understood the necessity of a stable government, a government which is also able to deliver its promises. In spite of all the negative factors like the financial crisis in 2012 and mining ban by the Supreme Court, we have managed to keep our promise of providing infrastructure and social security. And that is a point well noted by the people. So, they want a political set-up which is stable—that means it has to be a clear majority, rather more than a majority, and which also has the ability to deliver. With the central government under Prime Minister
Narendra Modi, I think Goans know that Goa can hope to get whatever financial support is needed to complete the rest of our infrastructure projects.
TOI: There has been a lot of speculation about you returning to Goa. It started with the party in-charge of Goa election, Union minister Nitin Gadkari, and then BJP national president Amit Shah also spoke about it. What is the truth behind it?
Parrikar: I think those statements are based on a feeling they might have got from the people and party workers that they want me here for the purpose of delivering on the promises the party is giving. It does not mean that others are not been able to deliver. So, they (Gadkari and Shah) said that your request is under consideration and we will take a decision after the election.
TOI: Did you request the party to send you back to Goa?
Parrikar: I didn’t request anything. I have not requested—negatively or positively—but they get the feeling… they also have people and a team to find out what is happening in the state. So, it is possible they got a feeling that delivery will be best achieved by Parrikar. That does not mean that the next best is not capable of something like that.
TOI: But don’t you think this whole speculation whether you will return to state politics or not has led to uncertainty? If they had just said that you will be the next chief minister, this uncertainty wouldn’t be there.
Parrikar: See, I am not contesting, therefore, the question of straight away saying something does not arise. If a decision was made, I would have contested. So, they are keeping the option open and they don’t want to go into full details of it. After the election, they will discuss all the possibilities, details, consult the MLAs and then take a decision.
TOI: Given a choice, will you come back?
Parrikar: I will not answer that. I have always followed the party line. Given a choice, I would not have gone to Delhi. That is the basic point from where it starts. When the party told me, my services are required there, I went, even if it meant giving up the chief ministership. There was no question of not following the party line. I believe in party discipline. But, I also have a voice there. It is not that they don’t listen to me there.
TOI: But it has given an impression that the incumbent chief minister, Laxmikant Parsekar, having continued the work that you started, is not capable. Why did the party not declare him as its chief minister candidate?
Parrikar: Actually, by provision, there is no need to declare a chief minister candidate in advance. It is always an exception. In the last elections (in 2012), they declared me because I had performed as an opposition leader and my ‘Parivartan Yatra’ was a great success. The party got a clear feeling and, obviously, the candidates were also unanimous in support of me. So, they declared me as the chief minister candidate. It is not that every time we declare a CM candidate. Sometimes, there are obvious choices, sometimes there are other issues. I think it is fair that the party decide after the election. It does not reflect anything on Parsekar or his performance. Parsekar has done a good job.
TOI: If the Prime Minister wants to retain you at the Centre, who would be your preference for the chief minister’s post?
Parrikar: I can’t say that because ultimately the MLAs have to give their choice. Then there is the parliamentary board of the party which will take into consideration all things and then decide. They will give weightage to the requirement, not to a person.
TOI: This time BJP has given more representation to Catholic candidates, while the MoI issue has been put on the back burner. Does it mean the BJP wants to woo the minorities?
Parrikar: We are contesting eight more seats than the last time. We have never contested so many seats. And as far as the party is concerned, we believe in giving representation to all. If you check on all the 36 candidates, you will find that every section of society is well covered. We have already taken a decision on MoI and we have not changed our policy on it.
TOI: Post-poll, if need be, will you take the support of Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) to form the government?
Parrikar: I think it is time that we keep them (MGP) out. There is no point of discussing post-poll scenarios like this when I am confident of getting a clear majority. I am quite sure that I will get 26 seats—plus or minus one or two seats. But if you ask me what should be done with people like these, then it is time to keep some people out because they have been jumping from one alliance to another to remain in power. It is like a wholesale arrangement.
TOI: If BJP forms the next government, will performance of the previous ministers be a criteria for giving them ministerial posts? Some of the ministers have not performed at all.
Parrikar: The party will definitely discuss various aspects with the chief minister. That is the normal procedure. It is ultimately the chief minister’s choice. But the party will indicate to the CM what they feel about the performances of the earlier ministers. Even new MLAs will find a place in the new cabinet.
TOI: The Prime Minister has gone all out against corruption, but here in Goa has the party diluted the corruption issue in some way.
Parrikar: There are some small matters which have come to our notice and we will ensure that there is zero tolerance to corruption. Corruption is like a weed. One year you remove it, but there is no guarantee that it will not come again next year. So, you have to continuously deweed it and remove corruption from the system. There is bureaucratic corruption, then there is corruption in the system and there is ministerial corruption. Though there have been some rumblings, there is no serious allegation of corruption on any minister.
TOI: This time BJP has given more stress on giving tickets to winnable candidates.
Parrikar: I don’t think. Of the 21 sitting MLAs minus three (speaker Anant Shet and sports minister Ramesh Tawadkar were denied tickets, while another MLA Vishnu Wagh is not contesting on health grounds), 18 of them have got tickets, while in rest of the places, we have taken into consideration various candidates and given tickets to persons who have a better chance of winning. Most of the time, it was a unanimous decision.
TOI: BJP national president Amit Shah has said that the next BJP government in the state will function under you. Does it not mean that you will remote control the government?
Parrikar: There is nothing wrong in what he said. It is not remote control. There is a difference between the government and the party, and the party has certain policies. Interference cannot happen. Have you ever heard that I have called for a meeting of any of the state government officials, except the chief minister?
TOI: What do you have to say about the Church guidelines that has spoken out against demonetization, investment promotion board, among others?
Parrikar: I won’t comment on any religious institution's guidelines, because the election commission has clearly banned any mention or indication of religion or religious institutions.
TOI: What kind of relationship do you share with Goa RSS prant sangachalak Subhash Velingkar? He has been saying that he will join the RSS after election.
Parrikar: His is a political party. Let the election get over. It is for RSS to comment on his joining them. Though I have good relations with RSS, I cannot comment on it.