TEAM HERALD
PANJIM:Durgadas Kamat is a young, energetic spokesman whose voice seems to be the only one in the ocean of silence that has engulfed the Goa Congress.
But the party’s clear inaction and reluctance to complete actions threatened against the government and its functionaries has nullified any hopes of the Congress even pretending to be a party of opposition.
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The Congress had promised to go to court on the case of the alleged discrimination over filing of a FIR against Sri Ram Sene chief Pramod Muthalik. Its spokesman Durgadas Kamat who had threatened to do that has reiterated to day that he would indeed do that. However, he has given himself a couple of days to do that.
However questions were raised over the delays given that Muthalik is to come to Goa for the HJS convention supposed to start tomorrow given that Kamat has promised to approach the court to get redressal but till date has not done so on two occasions– the Devu Chodankar case, and before that the PSI recruitment case.(see box)
However, Kamat defends himself. “We are moving the JMFC under Section 156. Tomorrow we will be writing to north SP,” he told Herald. But Kamat seems to be a lone ranger. When the Goa Police refused to file an FIR against Pramod Muthalik for his vitriolic remark that his organisation would distribute swords in Hindu homes, there was no sense of outrage.
On the Devu Chodankar case where there was a huge hue and cry created over the alleged trampling of the freedom of speech, the Congress campaign too died down after the police backed down.
“Since the police softened their attitude towards him, the party backed down,” says Kamat. In reality it didn’t have any fore power.”
However all this has led people to question whether the Congress is all bark given that they make a noise, get some media presence and then back down or never take to the logical conclusion.
“We have to talk as spokespersons on two counts. One if the matter is taken up and in the media, it should be followed up. If we take up the matter in consultation with president, the latter should follow it up but if the matter is taken up by the spokesman as an activist then he should personally follow up”, said Jitendra Deshprabhu, senior Congressman and also a spokesman giving his view of the matter.
He did not elaborate in which category he placed Durgadas Kamat’s promises. This remark also casts a shadow of doubt over whether each of the issues raised and promises made had the blessings of the party or, as it often happens were they solitary salvos with no party consultation.
They have begun to sound like barks without bites with no MLA, former chief minister or the omni absent and vanishing leader of the opposition Pratapsing Rane, lending even verbal support to one of its spokesmen.
