TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: A day after Congress’s dissidents showed up on the dais alongside their new party chief Luizinho Faleiro, the high command appointed disciplinary committee chairman John Fernandes argued that this move will cause a “backlash against the party”.
Fernandes also said that his committee’s decisions to initiate disciplinary action against the senior-most leaders was seconded by All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary and Goa desk in-charge Digvijaya Singh, who was of the strong opinion that workers indulging in anti-party activities would not be entertained in the party.
“Any decision of the disciplinary committee cannot be revoked without consent of the high command. It goes against Congress party’s constitution,” Fernandes claimed. The former party president was speaking to Herald from Mumbai, where he is made Congress party election in-charge in few constituencies. Fernandes would be returning to Goa on Thursday.
Fernandes said that the disciplinary committee has submitted all its action-taken report to the high command for further action. He has said that the committee has so far suspended two members permanently from Congress party (Aleixo Sequeira and Subhash Faldessai) and has resolved that two members (Ravi Naik and Joaquim Alemao) should not be given any position in the party and ticket for elections. Also, two names are being forwarded to the high command for action (Francisco Sardinha and Valanka Alemao).
On Tuesday, Congress party rebels – Sequeira, Naik, Alemao, Sardinha and Faldesai – shared the dais with newly appointed Chief Luizinho, sending clear indication of their re-entry into the party soon. The disciplinary action against all of these Congressmen is pending for their anti-party activities during Lok Sabha elections and thereafter.
“People are watching everything. They had voted against Congress during assembly elections and Lok Sabha elections due to these leaders, who lack discipline. Their re-entry would be yet another lesson to the party,” Fernandes said, adding ‘my actions were to revamp the party and make it free from corrupt and family raj politics.’
Further it has been learnt that Fernandes has submitted a report to the high command about some Congress senior leaders colluding with
BJP-led government.
