PANJIM: Former Union Minister and newly-appointed All India Congress Committee (AICC) election observer for Goa, P Chidambaram on Wednesday declined to comment on whether a change in leadership and revamp of the organisation in the state is on the cards.
Chidambaram, who arrived in Goa on a two-day visit held deliberations with party leaders and MLAs over organisational matters and strategies for the upcoming Assembly elections.
He met all frontal organisations separately for their feedback, after which he met party MLAs and prominent leaders including South Goa MP Francisco Sardinha, former Ministers Ramakant Khalap and Aleixo Sequeira. Some of the party office-bearers also met him in groups and briefed him about the working of the party in the State.
Most of the leaders who met Chidambaram were anti-Girish Chodankar forces trying to replace him as GPCC chief. However, Chodankar expressed confidence that the senior Congress visit will strengthen the organisation.
After emerging from the meeting, Ponda MLA Ravi Naik said, “I met Chidambaram and told him everything. We have betrayers within the party and we cannot trust them,” he said.
When asked whom he was referring to, Naik refused to disclose the name. The Ponda MLA has been gunning for party president Girish Chodankar for dissolving his block committee without consulting him.
Khalap said that some booth committees need to be reconstituted due to lethargy and switching over by the members. “Visiting some of the areas with few members does not mean that you are strong. Often individual is strong. There is a network and party has to realise it and decide,” he said.
Chidambaram will also meet other party leaders on Thursday morning.
On the other hand, AICC Goa in-charge Dinesh Rao also held series of meetings with office-bearers of frontal organisations.
Goa Pradesh Youth Congress (GPYC) president Varad Mardolkar said, “He (Chidambaram) heard our views and told us to meet again. We expressed our views like organisation matters and to field new faces for the elections all in the interest of party them.”
CHANGES IN GOA CONG ANY TIME
NEW DELHI: The Congress is ready with the changes to be effected in the Goa Congress, including various panels to be formed in preparation of the upcoming Assembly elections. A formal announcement of the changes is expected any time, a top party source said.
He said the new incumbents have been personally informed and told to wait for the formal announcement from Delhi.
The party is clearing one State after another. On Tuesday, it formed various committees for Manipur and on Wednesday party general secretary K C Venugopal released the lists of Meghalaya and Jharkhand.
CALANGUTE BLOCK OPPOSES NEW INDUCTIONS
The Calangute Congress Block Committee on Wednesday met All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge Dinesh Rao and questioned him on speculation that Science and Technology Minister Michael Lobo may join the party.
After meeting Rao at The International Centre Goa, the workers told media persons that there is speculation that the party is trying to admit Lobo and his supporters ahead of ensuing Assembly elections.
Damian Teles said that party workers are miffed and are strongly opposed to any attempt to admit Lobo, who he alleged, had tried to destroy the constituency. Lobo compelled people of Calangute to come on the streets to oppose inclusion of Calangute and Candolim villages in the Outline Development Plan (ODP) of the North
Goa Planning and Development Authority (NGPDA), he added.
Teles said that Rao has assured them that only genuine and loyal Congressmen will be given tickets to contest the upcoming elections.
“Rao gave us 100 per cent assurance that party tickets will be given to loyal Congressmen. We are happy and satisfied with his assurance,” Calangute Block Mahila Congress president Bibian Fernandes said.
Former Parra sarpanch Benedict D’Souza said that the people of Goa are well educated and are aware about the political happenings. He said that the Calangute Block Congress Committee is very active on social media platform and working hard for the last nine years.
“I asked Rao why Congress party should import liability from Bharatiya Janata Party,” D’Souza said, indirectly referring to Lobo.
Ronny Fernandes and former Calangute MLA Agnel Fernandes too said that the AICC in-charge has assured them that the party ticket will be given to loyal Congressmen and not to turncoats.
