TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: A defiant Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) President John Fernandes hit out at All India Congress Committee Secretary and Goa desk in-charge Chella Kumar, telling him not to ‘advise’ him on party functioning, arguing that he was ‘junior’ to him.
“Chella should not advise me from Madras through the press on party functioning. I am senior to him. I take advise only from Rahulji and Digvijayji. If Chella wants to advise me then he should come through proper channels,” Fernandes said speaking to media persons on Tuesday morning.
He went even further arguing that he had lost his deposit (during elections). “He was frequently visiting Goa. Goa is a tourist State,” he said.
Surprisingly, Fernandes lashed out at him a day after Kumar confirmed to Herald that Fernandes is still the GPCC president, trying to put to rest speculations about whether and when the party president would be replaced.
Fernandes also said that he did not think that he had committed any mistakes during his tenure as president.
“Show me one mistake (I committed). I am working as per the constitution of party. My every action is as per the party constitution. Even dissolving all blocks is not an arbitrary decision. I am cleaning up the party. If anybody says that I am destroying the old set up than it is a compliment to me. While building anything new, you have to destroy old things,” he said, defending his every decision.
The Congress chief also called former Member of Parliament Francisco Sardinha a ‘party rebel’ and said his case has been put before the High Command for action.
Fernandes is currently under fire from local leaders for his decisions to suspend Congress leaders including former power minister Aleixo Sequeria.
The next on GPCC president’s radar seems to be Dabolim MLA Mauvin Godinho, but the ball lies with Congress legislature party leader Pratapsing Rane.
“Mauvin is not a Congressman. He is not with the party. We are ready to act against him if the CLP leader recommends,” he said.
Fernandes said that in every Assembly constituency, two to three candidates will come up. The Congress feels that the current tussle within the ruling party might see the State going for early polls in 2015. “There is a big war or tussle going on between the MGP and the BJP. There is also in-fighting within BJP,” he said.
