When leaders act as wheeler-dealers and take the emotion of the people of Goa for granted, it is important to speak out irrespective of the political and personal consequences.

The dilly-dallying of the Congress High command on alliance with Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Goa Forward Party (GFP) and United Goans Party (UGP) over the last ten days and the thriller being played out over the last 48-hours exposes the complete disregard of the Goa desk-in-Charge Digvijay Singh for the aspirations of the Congress workers who have along with the Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) Luizinho Faleiro over the last several years help rebuild the party.

The Congress party in 2012 was destroyed by the former Goa desk-in-Charge Jagmeet Singh Brar and Sudhakar Reddy on account of their sickness of blindness to the truth about the Congress position in the state. The former Delhi Congress leaders in-charge of Goa did not take into account the mood of the people in the allotment of tickets to the deserving candidates and Congress lost disgracefully.

This time around the Delhi leaders in particular Digvijay Singh is undoing the hard work undertaken by Congress workers and the genuine Congress leaders to build the party in the state. 

Goa Congress leaders who have woken up to a last minute aggression to an alliance with former Congress leaders who left or were removed from the Congress party, is to only set a foundation to capture the Chief Minister position if in case Congress gets close to competitive number of seats to form the government.

Interestingly Congress’ own independent research indicated that it would fare better in going alone than through an alliance. More so, many honest and competent senior leaders at the high command in Delhi, including the screening committee were against an alliance. It has only been Digvijay Singh and another senior Congress leader having a fondness for the former Chief Minister Digambar Kamat due to his mining connections and a Goan Congress leader who sits at the AICC guiding the Congress students and youth that we’re routing for an alliance with Vijai Sardesai.

I wonder what do leaders like Digvijay Singh and others want to give to Congress workers  ‘Work hard to build your party, aspire to be a candidate and then work for the person the party has an alliance with’ or for the people of Goa, ‘Vote for us because we have secular alliance or seat arrangements or friendly fights. This is how we are working in your interest.’

Digvijay Singh is completely wrong in understanding the sentiments of the Congress workers and most of all of the people of Goa. His error of judgment is grave.  Congress workers are now burning effigies of this Congress leader, but this leader has already set fire to the party’s chances in the state.

Congress had a chance to change perception, to showcase that they have changed not only in selecting new candidates but also in the manner in which they take their message of change to the people with clean processes and unity as a party. Digvijay Singh has come and messed it up.

Most people today are feeling that the Congress is a like a leopard who does not change its spots and another are viewing the Congress as its name suggests – a group of monkeys, Baboons to be specific.

The voter of today is an intelligent voter and they have options to choose right candidates. So my sincere advice to Digvijay Singh is to pack your bags and go back, you have done your damage. Please don’t take the people of Goa for granted.