Team Herald
PANJIM: The divided house that the Congress is in Goa was on full display during a series of block Congress committee meetings that saw sharp criticism and notable absences, raising the all-important question – is the party ready to take its role as the principal Opposition in the state seriously?
The meetings were attended by All India Congress Committee (AICC) secretary-in-charge of the Goa Desk, Anjali Nimbalkar and were aimed at strengthening the party organisation, but turned out to be a damp squib, with neither state Congress President Amit Patkar nor Leader of the Opposition Yuri Alemao present
for them.
This led to several members of the Sankhali Block Congress Committee voicing their dissatisfaction, with some even calling for Patkar’s removal from his position. Sankhali councillors Pravin Blaggan, Khemlo Sawant, and Laxmikant Parab expressed frustration over the lack of presence from top leaders in their constituency. "We have not seen the GPCC president or the Leader of the Opposition in Sankhali. How can you expect us to strengthen the party here?" they asked, demanding Patkar’s immediate removal. "Tell us why the GPCC president isn’t coming to Sankhali?" another committee member added.
The meetings, which were part of a three-day programme approved by the AICC last week, were scheduled across various constituencies including Mormugao, Dabolim, Sant Andre, Poriem, Valpoi, Sankhalim, Velim, Cuncolim, and Navelim. However, not all went as planned. The Sant Andre Block Congress Committee meeting was called off after the observer arrived two hours late, and the Navelim Block meeting was cancelled due to a retreat in the village.
In addition to the absences of Patkar and Alemao, observers appointed for various constituencies also skipped the meetings. The only notable presence was South Goa MP Viriato Fernandes, who attended the Dabolim Block Congress meeting.
Meanwhile, members of the Velim Block Congress Committee expressed strong opposition to any potential pre-poll alliance with like-minded parties, insisting that the Congress should contest the upcoming Assembly elections on its own strength. "We will strengthen the party at the grassroots level and bring Congress back to power," the block members told Nimbalkar.
This internal unrest signals that all is not well within the State Congress Party, with growing tensions and leadership challenges likely to affect the party’s performance in the upcoming Zilla Panchayat (ZP) elections, scheduled for December this year.