Not that he needs me to defend him. But I count myself among his most ardent supporters and want to say my piece.
I and a few others, notably my dear friend Dr. Anil Desai, have been strident in our criticism of Manohar-bab the past few months. We had - still have - high expectations of him, and we hold him to a much higher standard than any other Goan politician, past and present. Let us be absolutely clear about that: Manohar-bab is the only man right now standing between Goa and disaster. Can you imagine Goa in the hands of a Vijai or a Viswajeet? Hell would be a more pleasant alternative. We recognize that the filthy sty left behind by the corrupt Congress criminals cannot be cleaned in a few months or perhaps even in a couple of years. We also recognize that he has to shepherd his own flock and that is no easy task. I mean, he has to deal with stinking gutterbugs like Fat Bastard Vishnu Wagh, a dirty casteist s-o-b burdened with the lard of an elephant and the intelligence of a cockroach. But we feel that Manohar-bab has as yet failed to hit the right notes. We are desperate for him to succeed for Goa's sake. We are distressed that he saw it fit to barrel ahead with Mopa, a project we are convinced will be to Goa's detriment. We are angry that he stands by mutely while the Mody and others erect huge concrete megaprojects for the benefit of outsiders and choke our rivers with their casino boats. We want Manohar-bab to fulfill the promise that his election last year signaled and justify the faith the ordinary Goan reposed in him. Manohar-bab's true enemies are not us, his harshest, but well-meaning, critics. Manohar-bab's true enemies are the sycophants who have surrounded him and who uncritically sing his bhajans here on Facebook and elsewhere. What Manohar-bab needs - and deserves - is honest appraisal. r