SUNDAY, MAY 19, 2024
VITHALDAS HEGDE
PANJIM: As ticket hijackers literally declare themselves as party candidates of the Congress, does the grand old party exist at all in the State? This question has been doing the rounds among the electorate and party leaders too. One ticket hijacker, has also played a role before to help other ruling parties and is accused of literally selling party tickets with no intention of bringing the party to power or winning seats.
Preparations for the LS polls are picking up momentum at the official level.
There is absolutely nothing happening in the State Congress Party, which claims to be the principal opposition party in Goa.
It is exactly a year now since the eight MLAs changed their coats to join the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) betraying the mandate of the people. Although Yuri Alemao will complete his one year as Leader of the Opposition, Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) president Amit Patkar has already completed 18 months in office.
One hijacker, whose main achievement has been getting close to PAs of the number one Congress family, is trying to hog the limelight by addressing solo media briefing even as Congress leaders say that this hijacker contests elections only to lose and facilitate the victory of rival party candidates.
GPCC president Amit Patkar made it clear that the party will not consider parachute candidates. “Loyalty, winnability and connect to the people will be the main criteria,” he said.
GPCC general secretary Everson Vales said, “No aspirant has so far informed me about his intention to contest Lok Sabha elections. I have been given responsibility for galvanising party workers at the booth level.”
GPCC executive member Pradeep Dessai said that the party should not give tickets to those who were never loyal to the party and always did ‘settings’ with the opposition parties. “We have seen this on two occasions when party MLAs deserted. We don’t want candidates who have never won any election. The candidates for the South Goa Parliamentary seat should be from the minority community,” said Dessai.
The Congress members are disappointed at the dismal performance of the three MLAs in the last five Assembly sessions and want the party functionaries to take up issues of public importance proactively.
Although the State leaders claim that Congress is the principal opposition party, in reality, leaders have not shown anything significant to live up to their own claim. It is seen time and again that Congress lacks aggression.
In recent days, Congress leadership has been engaged in taking potshots at some opposition leaders rather than taking the BJP government head-on on various issues. It is observed that desperation is brewing in the Congress camp over the limelight seized by other opposition leaders with their performance and pro-active approach.
Party insiders feel Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao remained confined only to his party colleague and Quepem MLA Altone D’Costa. Alemao clearly missed the opportunity to emerge as a formidable leader.
The Congress has also failed to take up issues concerning larger sections of the Society. None of the Congress MLAs spoke on the demolition of a house belonging to an ST community member at Verna. Also, they did not speak on the drug trade after the arrest of two at Hyderabad. The Congress also skipped the Bhoma highway bypass agitation. Shack operators also declined to meet Congress MLAs with their concerns on the new shack policy.
