PANJIM: The appeal made by Congress president Amit Patkar to all former Congressmen to return to the party fold has not gone well with some of the leaders.
On Saturday, party’s Canacona candidate Janardhan Bhandari left the Chetna Yatra in a huff after seeing former Canacona chairperson and TMC candidate Mahadev Desai on the dais.
Bhandari said that he was upset over the presence of Desai in the meeting held at Shristal and refused to occupy the dais. “I was surprised to see Mahadev Desai attending the Chetna Yatra when he rebelled against the party and contested 2022 Assembly election as TMC candidate. How can I share the dais with such people, who rebelled against the Congress and spoiled our chances?” he asked.
Disagreeing with the GPCC president Amit Patkar’s appeal to all former Congressmen to return to the party fold, Bhandari demanded to know whether the party will readmit defectors and those who betrayed, revolted and contested against the party’s official candidate. “If such things are allowed, then it will embolden many other leaders, who will ruin party’s prospects,” he claimed.
However, Desai said that he was invited for Chetna Yatra by GPCC President Amit Patkar. He said that he had worked for Congress for 22 years and that the party committed injustice to him by denying the ticket to contest Assembly polls.
Canacona Block Congress Committee President Pralay Bhagat has also slammed Mahadev Desai for blaming Bhandari for his failure to win Canacona seat.
Terming Desai’s remarks as unwarranted and uncalled for, Bhagat said that Dessai, who claimed to be a popular leader of Canacona, had no right to speak against loyal and dedicated Bhandari.
He said that Desai could poll only 1066 votes and lost his deposit and this exposes Desai’s popularity and the so-called hard work claimed by him.
