TEAM HERALD
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MARGAO: In an interesting development, Margao Municipal Vice Chairperson Pratima Coutinho on Saturday announced her decision to quit office on Monday.
She told the media this evening that she would submit her resignation to the office of the Director of Municipal Administration on Monday as per an agreement amongst the ruling group mandating her and Municipal Chairperson Arthur D’Silva to step down on March 17 after holding the reigns of office for 11 months. “For me, honouring my commitment was more important than anything else. By deciding to quit office, I want to send a message that greed for power is bad. And, I am following the words of my leader Rahul Gandhi, who says that power is like poison and one should not be addicted towards it”, she said.
Asked whether she thinks that Arthur should also follow suit and announce his resignation, Pratima said “We should both respect the agreement. He should know that too much power is not good”.
Replying to a question, Pratima said many of her colleague councilors had told her not to resign since she was elected unopposed. “But, I chose to honour my word. During my tenure, there were many pressures from various quarters, but I did not bend down or entertained anyone, especially those having political backing. Today, I can confidently said that no one can point fingers at me as far as corruption is concerned”, she said.
Pratima clarified that she will not be in the race for the post of Chairperson, while thanking all her colleague councilors, Chief Officers and Municipal staff for giving her the opportunity to prove her capacity.
