From a primary school teacher to chief minister, Laxmikant Parsekar has come a long way. In his first election in 1989, he won just 365 votes and lost his deposit. On his second try, he lost, but kept his deposit, and distributed sweets in his constituency for the achievement. He first won in 2002 and, ever since, the margin of victory has been increasing. A humble Parsekar spoke to THE WEEK as he was about to leave for his constituency, Mandrem, for a quick half-day campaign. Excerpts from an interview:
How will the alliance between the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, Goa Suraksha Manch and Shiv Sena affect your prospects?
Our track record is too good. But, I will not underestimate any political force. The MGP attacked us at the last moment. They had already planned and decided to part ways. The BJP has grown across the state, among all religions and castes. Hence, I don’t think they will have any impact on the BJP.
You saw Subhash Velingkar as a father figure. What went wrong?
It was about the medium of instruction at the primary level. We favoured Konkani and Marathi. He was also of the same opinion. But, our state has 134 primary schools that were using English as the medium of instruction. They had been getting grants since the days of the Congress rule. We did not want to upset that. Moreover, the goal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas [together with all, development for all]. So, we said no to Velingkar’s demand.
The Aam Aadmi Party has alleged that your government is targeting its chief minister candidate Elvis Gomes.
One can claim to be chief ministerial candidate only when one can get 21 legislators elected. The MGP has declared its chief minister candidate, so has the AAP. But, surveys done by independent agencies indicate that the AAP will get two or three seats, as will the MGP. So, why should we be worried about them? If he [Gomes] has committed any blunder, he should face consequences. There is no vendetta at all.
The Congress is trying to put together an alliance of likeminded parties to counter the BJP.
They should; our popularity is so high that they are worried. It is a question of their survival. They have been forced to come together.
There is criticism that you are a puppet chief minister and Manohar Parrikar is actually the man in control.
Manohar Parrikar and Shripad Naik are elderly figures in the party. They are my friends, guides and philosophers. When I contested an election for the first time, Manohar had come to stay with me and help me for 20 to 25 days.
People are not saying this; the opposition is making this charge. I am certainly not high profile. Ours is team work; Laxmikant Parsekar has his limitations. When he became defence minister and I took over, there was a lot of criticism that I could never become like Parrikar. I was firm in my reply that I will continue to be Laxmikant Parsekar. And, I have done a lot of things since I took over.
Are you confident that you will get Christian votes this time?
Certainly, we will.
Is there interference from the church in ticket distribution?
Not at all. This has never happened. We will give ticket only on the basis of a candidate’s ability to win.
How many seats are you hoping to win?
For the first time, we will be contesting 36 seats out of 40. I am confident that we will win 18 seats, in the worst-case scenario, and 30 in the best-case scenario.
