MARGAO: Congress leader Elvis Gomes on Monday attributed councillors’ allegiance to politicians as the root cause of malfunctioning of civic bodies.
He said those elected to local bodies should have unflinching loyalty to the people that elect them and not to their so-called political masters so that functioning of grassroots democracy becomes vibrant and productive.
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Responding to reports following the resignation of councillor Udesh Dessai from the market committee after a public spat with the chairman of the Cuncolim Municipal Council, Gomes said Dessai’s resignation will trigger a chain of events that may have repercussions on the council’s stability.
He said councils did not have a provision for elections on party lines and hence there was a need to have ‘people’s council’ through unity of councillors in the best interest of the public keeping true democratic traditions in mind.
“The initial euphoria of winning dies down soon as no useful agenda of people’s interest gets discussed due to restrictions imposed by outside political forces that control actions of the elected” said Gomes.
He said in the days to come more action would be seen in the council with councillors that feel responsibility to the people breaking off from the clutches of those that seek to control them.
