PANJIM: The outgoing Congress President John Fernandes on Wednesday alleged that corrupt party leaders had colluded with Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar to dislodge him from the post. He also expressed serious reservations against the newly-appointed party president Luizinho Faleiro being a strong opposition to the BJP-led government in the state.
“Allies of Parrikar in Congress were employed to hasten my removal. There is circumstantial evidence that Parrikar has colluded with corrupt Congressmen to take control,” the outgoing chief alleged. He raised apprehensions that Pradesh Congress Committee might become like the Congress legislature party – which he alleged had become a floating company of the BJP. Fernandes said that Parrikar already has allies in CLP and now there is every worry that he will have allies in PCC.
He said he was relieved that he no longer has the responsibility of presidentship even as he said that he would continue to fight against corruption within and outside the party with the support of his present Pradesh Congress committee (PCC) members, who comprise youngsters.
“I am relieved that I am relieved from the post,” Fernandes commented, a day after being replaced from the party presidentship within 10 months of taking over.
He said there was a you scratch my back, I scratch yours going on with the Parrikar government withdrawing cases of forgery filed against Faleiro’s wife, wherein she has manipulated Form I and XIV to delete names of tenants in the Zuz-Mobor land case. The South Goa collector who had a filed case in the court, has withdrawn it. “I don’t want to make allegations against Faleiro. I have nothing against him. The report about withdrawal of cases had appeared in the local press,” Fernandes said.
“In return for this, services of influential Congressman Filip Neri Rodrigues, former minister, were used to withdraw the criminal forgery case against Satish Dhond,” ( The CM’s most trusted party functionary) he charged.
Fernandes said that though he has been relieved from the post of president, he will continue to be chairman of the party’s disciplinary and election committees. He said that so far the party has issued show cause notices to total 10 party dissidents for their anti-party activities and has recommended action by the party high command.
Fernandes also alleged that Parrikar had panicked after the Congress state unit had started a drive against the corruption in the state. “We had given a representation to Goa Governor Mridula Sinha pointing out to the corruption in the state and demanded that Parrikar be removed from his post for admitting that corruption exists in government,” Fernandes alleged.
“This forced Parrikar to press the panic button.”
Saying that the Parrikar government was the most corrupt government, Fernandes informed that the representation would now be sent to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
