HOME MASTER OF DECEIT -------------------------------------------------- |
IN DEPTH |
STRAY THOUGHTS By Rajan Narayan CHURCH FAILS TO ADDRESS PAEDOPHILIA CONCERNS -------------------------------------------------- |
BEHIND THE NEWS GOA NO LONGER AT THE TOP By Our Economic Correspondent -------------------------------------------------- |
IT SPECIAL BUSINESS NOT CHARITY INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY CYBERLOVE |
TONGUE-IN-CHEEK By Aravind Bhatikar THE SSS DOES NOT TOLERATE CORRUPTION -------------------------------------------------- |
IN A LIGHTER VEIN BONQUISTS IN GOAAH By Anthony J Simoes -------------------------------------------------- |
EATING IS FUN A variety food column By Tara Narayan IT’S RAINING CUCUMBERS! HOME & HEARTH LUNCH TRAVAILS OF THE OFFICE-GOING WOMAN By Pankajbala Patel -------------------------------------------------- |
BOOK REVIEW BEDEVILED BENEFACTORS By Manohar Shetty -------------------------------------------------- |
FOREIGN TIES FOOD, MUSIC, DANCE AT VIVA GOA By Ben Antao -------------------------------------------------- |
ON STAGE-OF STAGE BEGINNINGS OF TIATR By John Gomes -------------------------------------------------- |
SPORTSTRACK By Irineu Gonsalves INDIA’S SHOOTING STAR -------------------------------------------------- |
GOENKARANCHO AVAZ |
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One of my favourite books of poems is T S Elliot’s “Old Possum's Book Of Practical Cats”. And recent political developments in the state remind of the poem on Maccavity. “McCavity, McCavity The difference between Parrikar’s style of political management and that of Congress leaders is the deceitfulness and suavity with which he strikes. At the risk of mixing metaphors, Parrikar is not a loud mouth like Luizinho Mohammed Ali Faleiro. He does not go about boasting about dancing like a butterfly and stinging like a bee. He operates quietly, silently, stealthily and swiftly. Look at the Isidore operation. If the Congress had planned to kidnap a BJP MLA they would have announced it in advance. They would have had half a dozen strategy sessions. And by the time they acted not just the opposition but everyone in Goa would have heard of it. And if they had succeeded all the senior Congress leaders would have thumped their chests and performed a war dance. And each of them would have said I am the greatest. Like they did when to their total surprise Churchill Alemao won the South Goa Parliamentary seat with an unexceptedly large majority. Contrast this with Parrikar’s style of operation. The entire negotiations were held in top secret. Nobody got to know about it till Isidore himself started shooting his mouth off to some of his Congress colleagues. Through the entire Isidore operation Parrikar did not show his hand. He remained invisible. When on Thursday Isidore submitted his resignation, Parrikar was not present. Instead in a master stroke he delegated Mathany Saldanha, Sudin Dhavlikar and Babush Monserrate to be part of the reception committee. Even after Isidore submitted his resignation to the Speaker, Parrikar acted as though Isidore had made the decision to join the BJP all on his own. Parrikar was all sweet innocence. His response was that if Isidore wanted to join the BJP, the party would welcome it. In any case Parrikar insisted that he had nothing to do with it. Isidore would have to approach the party president and it will be the party that will decide. Parrikar’s genius is that he gets other people to do all the dirty work for him. He acts so silently and swiftly that the opposition has no time to react. It has happened time and again. Congress leaders were totally caught unawares when Babush Monserrate and Madkaikar decided to join the BJP. By the time they could act on the rumours that Mathany would join the ministry the Cortalim MLA had already been sworn in. In the Isidore incident once again Manohar Parrikar has proved his genius for political manipulation. The only person in the opposition who has the deviousness that Parrikar is a master of is perhaps Dr Wilfred D’Souza. In the good old or bad old days the combination of Wilfred D’Souza and the late Govind Panvelkar was deadly. But obviously Willy is past his prime. Or he is too busy following his personal agenda. You may like him or hate him. But you cannot help admiring him. Manohar Parrikar has indeed rightly earned the title of “ The Grandmaster of Goan Politics.” MOG ASSUM RAJAN NARAYAN
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