Recently at the Lok Jagruti Melava organised by the GPCC, the cracks in the Congress were seen after John Monteiro was not invited to sit on the dais. As a reaction, Monteiro held a demonstration with 70-80 people of his opposition for Dias.
The Congress President, Luizinho in his speech finally had to apologise not once or twice but several times. The undercurrent in the silent Congress waters has swept them off their feet in the first leg of the campaign.
GPCC President, at the meeting, made it clear in his speech that the person who works for people gets the higher hand for an election ticket. But the silence seems to be hiding lots of unsatisfied and competitive aspirations amongst congressmen.
On the day of the Melava of GPCC, Dias registered a primary Congress membership of 1400. While speaking to Herald, he criticised Monteiro. “John is a anti-Congressman. He has come on record during the last elections, but still the Congress took him on board. People are angry with us for getting him. He was not called for the meeting at Chandor and the meeting wasn’t affected by his acts,” says Dias.
Clafasio claims that he holds 80 percent of the vote share in Guirdolim and Curtorim while his competitor doesn’t. “I’ve got 1400 people registered within 10 days and I have got a lead of 4580 votes for Congress which itself is a measure of my winning power,” he adds. Taking a dig at Monteiro, Dias says, “John has lost the Municipal elections. There’s no hope from him”.
“GPCC President is very happy with the meeting and has promised the Cuncolim Assembly election ticket to me,” he went on to say.
Monteiro however, has a different take on the whole incident. “The meeting was always a meeting of the Goa Pradesh Congress Committee and was sabotaged and hijacked by Clafasio claiming that it was his meeting. The protocol was violated by not inviting the South Goa Committee President on the dais. Congress has to take disciplinary action against this,” says Monteiro.
He claims that 75 percent of the crowd at the Melava was brought by him, and at the Zilla Panchayat Election he resurrected the Congress in Cuncolim in 5 days and gave a 3500 vote lead to them. “I am indeed a frontrunner for the Congress ticket of Cuncolim and will rightfully claim it in the forthcoming election,” said John confidently. “If the vote share is statistically broken down, the one who gets 9000 votes will win the Cuncolim Assembly seat and I have a personal vote bank of 7000,” he claims. He went on to add. “Clafasio may be a factor for the Zilla Panchayat elections, but the Assembly election is way out of his reach. He has to work harder as I have been already assured a ticket by office bearers, party high commands and others from Congress,” John said.
Not just Chandor, the Nuvem meeting of Congress also has a shadow of unsatisfied and unhappy party men. Some local leaders from Nuvem have expressed their displeasure over the last entry and first preference of Congress to Wilfred D’sa. “We have worked hard to start the most active party office of Congress in South Goa and suddenly someone else is the last action hero. We are depressed,” says a local Congress leader.
