PANJIM: In the aftermath of the Lok Sabha poll Congress debacle, former member of Parliament Francisco Sardinha, ex-minister Joaquim Alemao, party’s North Goa candidate Ravi Naik and Pradesh Youth Congress Committee President Valanka Aleamo have been served notices for alleged anti-party activities during the April 2014 elections, by the Goa Pradesh Congress Committee’s disciplinary committee.
Digvijay Singh AICC general secretary and Goa desk in-charge during his two day visit to Goa on June 26 had directed the disciplinary committee headed by State unit President John Fernandes to immediately issue notices to party workers for their allegedly anti-party role during the Parliamentary elections.
The committee on Monday issued notices to these dissidents asking them to reply within seven days as to “why action should not be initiated against them as per the Congress party’s Constitution for their alleged anti-party activities during the recently held parliamentary polls”. The committee informed that it received several complaints from the workers against these leaders.
Congress party faced a white wash in the Lok Sabha elections, where it lost both the seats to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
A senior Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) member confirmed that notices been indeed issued to four party workers –Ravi, Sardinha, Joaquim and Valanka. He said that these are the first set notices and there are many more to follow as the committee members are still scrutinizing the complaints they has received.
Notice to Ravi Naik is been issued for his statement against then Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh. Naik, who had lost by over one lakh vote against BJP’s Shripad Naik, had blamed Singh for the party’s defeat across India.
Valanka Alemao was sent the notice as she refrained from canvassing for the party’s South Goa candidate Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco during the polls. Valanka expressed her unhappiness after her father and senior Congress leader Churchill Alemao was refused a ticket by the party. Alemao then resigned from the Congress and contested on All India Trinamool Congress (AITMC) ticket.
Francisco Sardinha son-Shalom resigned from the Congress and contested as independent from South Goa.
Apart from these, two sitting legislator — Atanasio Monserrate and Mauvin Godinho are also under the scanner for anti-party activities as both had publicly admitted that they did not work for Congress candidates during polls.
