Mumbai: As some of the top Indian wrestlers are on protest for over a month against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh over sexual harassment charges, a six-year-old story of how the BJP came to power in Goa despite having lost the election gives a peep into the MP’s political utility even outside his home turf of Uttar Pradesh.
The party had brought Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan — a six-time MP from Gonda, Balrampur and Kaiserganj — to Goa during the last leg of negotiations to win over the Goa Forward Party (GFP), a regional outfit in the coastal state, multiple leaders from across parties, including BJP, in Goa told ThePrint.
BJP Goa president Sadanand Tanavade told ThePrint that he did not know anything about Brij Bhushan coming to Goa or his supposed role in government formation.
But, Vijai Sardesai of the GFP confirmed Brij Bhushan’s visit to Goa during talks for the government formation. He, however, maintained that he joined the BJP-led government in 2017 only because the party agreed to appoint Manohar Parrikar, who was then the Union defence minister, as the chief minister.
“The BJP leadership did bring Brij Bhushan to Goa to speak with me. But as I said in my letter of support to that government as well, I joined the government only because of Shri Manohar Parrikar,” Sardesai told ThePrint.
The bonhomie lasted for two years only as Sardesai’s GFP fell out with the BJP in 2019 and is now a rival of the BJP in Goa.
Brij Sharan could not be reached over the phone and did not respond to ThePrint’s text message.
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What transpired in 2017
The BJP was in the process of cobbling together an alliance of various parties to stake claim on the Goa government despite the Congress having emerged as the single-largest party though short of the half-way mark. The BJP won 13 seats, while the Congress had 17 in the 40-member assembly.
Amit Shah, who was the then BJP president, had put Union Minister Nitin Gadkari in charge of the operation to form a BJP-led Goa government.
Towards the fag end of the efforts, the BJP leadership brought Brij Sharan to Goa.
Brij Sharan’s role, the party sources said, was to win over Sardesai and his GFP, which had three MLAs, using a common link to bond over — wrestling. Sardesai heads the Progressive Wrestling Association of Goa.
Two Goa Congress leaders and a third from the ruling alliance of the Manohar Parrikar-led state government of 2017 told ThePrint that the BJP first approached and secured the support of the three MLAs of the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), which had been an ally of the BJP in Goa in the past as well.
They said, meanwhile, after getting the MGP on board, the BJP leadership sent Brij Sharan in a private jet to Goa.
“Brij Bhushan visited Vijai Sardesai’s residence at a time when the Congress leadership was also in talks with him. The deal for GFP to join the BJP in forming a government in Goa was finalised with Brij Bhushan,” one of the two above-mentioned Goa Congress leaders told ThePrint.
The third source from the 2017 ruling alliance confirmed the details and added that it was in this meeting that Sardesai put forth his demand for all three GFP MLAs to be state cabinet ministers. “The BJP leadership was informed about Sardesai’s decision after talks with Brij Bhushan, and the GFP gave its letter of support on the condition that Parrikar will take the reins as CM,” he added.
The source said, Brij Bhushan was also present with Gadkari and Parrikar at a hotel when all MLAs who had agreed to join the BJP-led government gathered to give their letters of support. A few media outlets had also carried a photograph of the event.
“The BJP high command had sent him to speak to me and create a sort of a comfort level as he was the head of the Wrestling Federation of India and I happen to head the local wrestling body. He was here for a couple of days,” Sardesai said.
“But, my support to the government was only because of Parrikar, nothing else. And my role in the wrestling scenario in this country is also perfunctory,” he added.
Sardesai’s entire campaign during the election was based on an agenda of ousting the BJP from Goa. Additionally, Sardesai’s Congress roots — with the Goa leader having split from the Congress in 2012 — made BJP leaders jittery about the possibility of Sardesai choosing to back the Congress and prop it to power, a Goa BJP source said.
The party eventually formed a government with three MLAs each of the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) and a few Independents, as well as support of the GFP.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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