MARGAO: State Congress leaders will go into a two-day huddle titled “chintan shibir” (introspection workshop) during the weekend at Dona Paula to prepare the road map for the state Congress and to build the party from the grassroots.
The two-day shibir comes at a time when the party leadership and the new PCC Chief Luizinho Faleiro is facing an acid test with party St Cruz MLA Babush Monserrate giving sleepless nights for the leadership with his plan to contest the Panjim by-poll.
While a shrewd GPCC Chief Luizinho Faleiro declined to touch the row surrounding Monserrate for the moment, he has, however, promised to come out with a firm stand on the issue after the two day Chintan Shibir. “We are in the process of building the party base from the grass root with stress on roping the young blood in the organisation”, Mr Faleiro said, while giving clear indications about his resolve to build the organisation, notwithstanding whether some of the leaders prefer to opt out of the party or not.
To dispel any notion that the party might yield to any pressure vis-a-vis the Panjim by poll, Mr Faleiro said the Congress will “one hundred percent” field a candidate for the Panjim seat.
While Mr Faleiro has preferred to maintain silence for the moment on the issue of Babush Monserrate quitting the party to contest as an independent, sources close to him said the GPCC Chief may take a call after consulting the High Command taking into account the Congress future in Goa. “Babush’s tantrums will not make any difference to the party because it is all geared up to strengthen itself from the grass root asnd groom new leadership”, remarked a senior party leader close to the PCC Chief.
Mr Faleiro said the two-day chintan shibir will deliberate upon the current political situation in the state, the national political scenario, besides imparting training for the delegations on the party’s ideology and the Constitution and the Constitution of India.
Senior faculty of the Delhi-based Jawaharlal Nehru University have been roped in by Mr Faleiro to guide and train the party delegates from the state on the party ideology and Constitution.
Sources in the know said the shibir will be mostly attended by the party leaders but the PCC leadership has invited Thinkers and commentators from across the state not associated with the party, but share in the party ideology. Around 100 congress delegates are expected to attend the two day Shibir on
December 13-14, besides
the invitees.
