Political observers wonder why it has ceased to be a major issue in the poll to the 40-Member assembly to elect a new government on March 3. The principal opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which shrilly took up the issue related to the   scam and the ruling Congress which had been at the receiving end of the accusation, have   welcomed into their respective folds those allegedly involved in the mining illegalities or are at least sympathetic towards the malaise.

 

Former National Secretary of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Jitendra Deshprabhu has been welcomed into the Congress by state Congress President Subhash Shirodkar. Deshprabhu, who was arrested for illegal mining of iron ore on August 4 last year, has been bailed out and is still facing prosecution.

Shirodkar says the party high command in Delhi has okayed the tainted leader’s inclusion in the party and the state unit has nothing to do with it. “The high command has taken all that into consideration before inducting him in the party. The law will be allowed to take its course in the illegal mining case,” he said. Deshprabhu was put behind bars after the state government’s Mining and Geology Department   had  complained that the former NCP leader owed the state exchequer 1.7 crore INR for illegally  excavating  bauxite. Deshprabhu is now hoping for a Congress ticket to the newly created Porvorim assembly constituency which has been constituted after delimitation.

Embattled Chief Minister Digambar Kamat and other leaders of the ruling Congress had to face a lot of brickbats for not taking action to stop illegal mining. Voters are dumbfounded as to why the principal opposition BJP had suddenly lowered its anti illegal mining chorus as election approached the state. The BJP had admitted two local influential persons allegedly linked to the mining lobby. Among them is Nilesh Cabral who is likely to contest in the Curchorem constituency which is a mining hub in south Goa, 50 kms from the state capital. Claiming innocence, he has gone on record saying “I don’t see what the problem is in moving dumps. Dumps are an eyesore. We are only moving these. Removing dumps is not illegal. In fact, we are doing a good thing,” said Cabral.

The Goa government had enforced a ban on harvesting of existing mining ore dumps after a probe revealed that a huge chunk of Goa’s illegal exported ore was sourced from such dumps scattered across the state’s mining areas which were harvested illegally by iron ore contractors. Cabral, who owns mining river barges as well as a fleet of trucks for ore transportation, said he was a mining engineer and therefore entered the mining industry. “I am a mining engineer and I went into mining just as civil engineers go into construction,” he said.

The BJP has also welcomed Ganesh Gaonkar who is a leading transporter of ore from the mines. State BJP President Laxmikant Parsenkar said: “We are very clear. We are against illegal mining but we support mining that is legitimately done.” Mining should not be stopped as it is the major source of revenue after tourism. His party is for conducting mining under the le-gal framework.

The BJP meanwhile is banking on its most visible face in Goa, Manohar Parrikar, to once again propel it to victory in the state. His political journey started in 1994 when he got elected to state Assembly. He moved up the ranks fast and was elected as leader of the opposition in 1999.

In the following year, the BJP formed its first government in Goa under his leadership but his tenure lasted only till February, 2002. Riding on a wave of popularity, Parrikar rode back to power within four months and continued as CM till 2005 when his government was reduced to minority after four BJP MLAs withdrew support.

Parrikar’s tenure, though short, was marked by a number of achievements. Besides introducing the Lokayukta Bill in 2003, he had launched social uplift schemes like Cyberage Scheme and Dayanand Samajik Suraksha Yojna. However, it is not going to be a cakewalk for Parrikar. Although he is being dubbed as the future CM, before that happens he would have to tackle a challenger in North Goa MP Shripad Naik, besides hoping that his ‘rancid pickle’ comment on party patriarch LK Advani continues to remain forgotten by his party bosses.

PK Chakravarty