Economics sometimes makes politics seem like a teddy bear’spicnic. Pushed to the wall with the prospect of livelihood loses and anincreasingly belligerent mining community, both the Congress and the BJP aremaking course corrections, albeit with caution. In the aftermath of the ShahCommission where attacking mining, miners and the government in one largeswathe, bringing in legal and illegal in one dock of guilt, there is rumbling thatis unmistakable.
The MLAs from the mining belt are either involved in the industryor all their voters are. If mining ceases, their politics in the belt is welland truly over. Pramod Sawant, Nilesh Cabral, Subhash Phaldessai, GaneshGaonkar and Anand Shet are from the mining belt of Sanquelim, Curchorem,Sanguem, Sanvordem and Mayem respectively.
Parrikar’s dilemma is palpable and it was evident this week.“If the Ganesh festival was bad it doesn’t mean Diwali and Dusshera will bebad. Bad days come in everybody’s life but legal mining has a lot of joy instore for everybody.”
However, to get that joy back, his Khandeparker Committeemust first ensure that the joy of those who got away don’t. The Khandeparkercommittee will take two months to investigate and take the Shah Commission findingsfurther to reach conclusions on the basis of which tenable actions. His cabinetnote is clear that no mining will start till all findings are remedied. And thiswon’t happen till Diwali, by any stretch. It is clearly understandable that heneeds to do a balancing act of playing the role of a genial protector and atough investigator. He can’t fake either way, especially with MLAS who haveinterests in the trade.
Nilesh Cabral claims that his mining business cheques arebouncing, Ganesh Gaonkar has personal interests in the business and SubhashPhaldesai has mining trucks. His MLAs are now actually saying that the ShahCommission findings are not correct.
Meanwhile, the Congress too has woken upto the fact that if Goais in this state, its own party caused it. There are sections in the party whohave impressed upon South Goa MP Fransisco Sardinha (in the absence of any leadershipin the party) to “set right” what is calls a faux pas of forcing EnvironmentMinister Jayanthi Natarajan suspend EC licenses of all mines. Congress sourceshave confirmed that Curtoril MLA Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco and Valpoi MLAVishwajeet Rane were instrumental in pulling off the EC suspension decision toout pressure on the Parrikar government. Sardinha now realises thatopportunistic politics can backfire in the face of bad economics. A delegation ledby Sardinha is going to Delhi to speak to the high command not to keep the ECsuspension for long.
