Demands more representation for women
MARGAO, MARCH 9
Staking claim over the Fatorda Assembly seat, Goa Pradesh Congress Mahila Chief Monica Dias has cautioned that the Mahilas will not sit quiet if the party leadership ignores the genuine demand of mahilas for minimum two Assembly tickets in the coming Assembly polls.
That’s not all. Mahila Congress workers warned the Congress leaders that mahilas would boycott the Congress party and even work against party candidates if the party does not reserve one seat each in North and South for women.
When newsmen asked Ms Dias what would be her future course of action if the party denies ticket to her, she shot back “We will not keep quiet this time and Congress President Sonia Gandhi will not deny party tickets to women contenders this time around.”
Asked whether she would stake claim for the Fatorda seat in the coming polls, Dias said “One hundred fifty per cent. I will stake claim for the Fatorda seat.”
Saying that Mahila Congress workers have been fooled all along with empty promises of giving tickets for women, Dias said “hope the leaders will not succeed in fooling us this time around. Women are the architects of the congress victories. They will not get fooled this time around.”
In fact, the Mahila Congress chief has urged Congress leaders to stop declaring or announcing prospective candidates as that would only leave other hard working contenders dejected and hurt. “There’s still time to go for the polls. We fail to understand why some leaders are announcing party candidates,” she said.
Dias said the Goa Mahila Congress will mostly stake claim on seats which are open and represented by the Opposition. “We will make a strong case before the Party leadership to allot open seats for women members as that would not affect the present set up,” she argued.
Reminding all and sundry that she was thrice elected Margao Municipal Councilor, Dias said the young aspirants vying for the party ticket should be made to wait by the party leaders, adding the young leaders may be given the tickets in the future.
Fatorda Mahila Congress President Eliza said that women from the constituency will rally behind Monica Dias in her bid to get nomination from the Congress party to fight the coming polls.
Another Mahila Congress leader Pratima Narvekar said the women members of the party would have no option than to quit the Congress and join any other political party. “The party leaders should realize that the Mahila congress had been working at the grass root for the success of the party. The leadership should not ignore the claims of the mahilas for tickets,” she asserted.
