PANJIM: A day after Congress election observer P Chidambaram met the Block Congress presidents, the All India Congress Committee on Friday dissolved all the block committees, including the president and both District Congress committees in the State with immediate effect. However, the District Congress committee presidents will continue holding charge.
AICC in-charge for Goa desk Dinesh Rao has asked Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) president Girish Chodankar to reconstitute all the District Congress committee and Block Congress committees within a month.
The block and district committees were dissolved a day after Rao left Goa and on the day Chidambaram left the State after his first visit following his appointment as election observer.
It is learnt that the reasons for dissolution of all block committees is that many were found to be defunct while, in some cases there were only block presidents and no committee members and in a few committees there was internal bickering.
The AICC observers who were deputed to Goa for digital membership had also observed that many block committees were defunct and not available during the membership drive.
Party sources said that new block and district committees will be reconstituted with the inclusion of loyal and dedicated workers while, responsibilities will be given to respective constituency in charges so as to work in unity and ensure better results for the party in the 2022 Assembly elections.
Though the decision appears to have been taken to unite the party for the Assembly elections at the grassroots level, many block presidents have not taken kindly to the sudden decision. They feel that the block committees have been dissolved at a time when they were enthused to prepare for the Assembly elections.
During his just visit to Goa, Rao had witnessed firsthand infighting in some of the block Congress committees.
Youth Congress executive to meet in Goa next weekend
The national executive meeting of the Indian Youth Congress (IYC) will be held in Goa on September 4 and 5.
IYC general secretary in-charge of Goa, Akhilesh Yadav, told Herald that this is the first time that the national YC executive is being held in the State.
Former Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram, All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge of Goa, Dinesh Rao, IYC president Srinivas BV, IYC secretary Amrish Ranjan Pandey and other office-bearers will attend the two-day meet.
During the meeting, YC members will review their activities and deliberate upon various political and other issues concerning the country and prepare a plan which will be implemented till the next executive meeting.
GPYC President Varad Mardolkar said that the two-day national executive will be held at Bambolim. “This national executive was first scheduled at Bengaluru and now shifted to Goa. We were informed about the decision two days ago,” he said, adding that about 120 YC members, including all State YC presidents and general secretaries will attend the event.
Yadav said that AICC leader Rahul Gandhi had addressed the last IYC national executive in Delhi in March wherein he asked all YC members to prepare to counter the second wave of the Coronavirus. He said that Gandhi had praised and felicitated GPYC president Varad Mardolkar and his team for supplying oxygen cylinders to COVID-19 patients and for undertaking COVID-19 relief works in the State.
According to Yadav, rising unemployment and inflation were the two major issues concerning the Goa youth and the national executive will discuss these issues in detail. The meeting will also prepare an action plan against the Government of India’s decision to monetise government assets under the National Monetisation Pipeline.
