Team Herald
PANJIM: A day after a few young Congress leaders lobbied against the party leadership’s move to resurrect the old and rejected elders in the organizational setup, senior leader and former chief minister Ravi Naik batted for the ‘grandfathers’, stating that no political party can function without the guidance of
the seniors.
Naik said that no political party can function without senior leaders. “Seniors are hardcore Congress workers, who have been supported by the people of Goa. People and Congress look at the seniors as winnable candidates,” he said.
Naik, who had lost the 2012 Assembly election and also the 2014 Lok Sabha election, said the Congress party is of the firm opinion that 50 per cent tickets would be given to young new faces while retaining 50 per cent senior leaders.
“Why should Congress not allow seniors to contest, if people want them? Look at Rane (Pratpasingh), the most senior leader and still a winnable candidate for party,” he said.
The State Executive committee led by State Congress President Luizinho Faleiro that met on Friday, also decided to ignored the ‘irresponsible statements’ made by the three young Congress leaders – secretary Durgadas Kamat, Tanvir Khatib and Raylan Cabral – questioning their ‘political stand’.
“Who are these people? Do they have any political standing?” was the question raised by Faleiro during the meeting and so also after the meeting when speaking to media. Faleiro said that party has no idea who Cabral is and that Khatib was suspended from the party for six years, and was reinstated just three months ago.
The three young leaders in a letter to AICC general secretary and Goa desk in-charge Digvijay Singh on Wednesday, demanded that the recently formed 17-member Election and Co-ordination Committee be dissolved, claiming that the faces which were rejected by the people of Goa during 2012 polls are part of
the committee.
“It is a most unimportant issue. They have insulted President Sonia Gandhi, who has constituted these committees. So ultimately, it is for her to decide now,” Faleiro said, adding that the co-ordination committee was formed as it was noticed that there is lack of coordination amongst MLAs and Pradesh Congress Committee members.
Interestingly, there appeared to be lack of coordination for Friday’s meeting as of the seven Congress MLAs, only three attended the executive meeting – Pratapsingh Rane, Digambar Kamat and Pandurang Madkaikar.
The executive committee today reviewed its organizational functioning, wherein the working of block committees from all 40-constituencies was evaluated.
