The State Congress seems to gasping for breath more than a week after the former chief minister Paratapsing Rane made “toilet cleaner” statement with reference to Goan diaspora abroad.
The State Unit of Congress party is finding it hard to distance itself from the leaders “personal opinion” and are “embarrassed” by their “seniormost“ leader in Goa.
It couldn’t have come for Congress at a worse time then this just when the party was looking to stand up after failing to cobble a coalition in 2017.
The party seemed to be regrouping well under new GPCC president Girish Chodankar but the statement has undone all the efforts, many in the party feel.
What is shocking is the Congress leaders and office bearers have failed to even come out in the open immediately to criticise or condemn the statement by Rane except a few.
The Opposition leader Babu Kavlekar, who was very much in the House when Rane made the ridiculous statement, seems to be mum on the issue even a week after.
“I was not in Goa for few days and have returned today. I will meet Mr Rane and find out what exactly he meant by his statement and only then can speak to the media. Rane is our senior most leader and we respect his experience,” was what he told Herald.
If that was not enough, Curorim MLA Alexio Reginald now says none of the Congress MLAs thumped the table when Rane was speaking.
Curtorim MLA Alexio Reginald Lourenco, who was very much present in the House when Rane made the statement now also says “Rane may not have meant what he said.
Only a few words of his statement are being taken out of contest I feel. He may not have meant what he said. If we as politicians cannot provide jobs for our youth to prosper in Goa then we don’t have any right to discriminate them on their positions at work we must appreciate and encourage our Goan brothers and sisters working abroad who take care of their families without any government benefits, sincerely apologise for the hurt we cause to them due to the same,” he said.
The Goa Pradesh Congress Committee president Girish Chodankar says he is unable to understand what he (Rane meant to say.
When asked whether this will affect the Congress prospects in forthcoming Lok Sabha Polls, Girish replied, it has nothing to do with the elections.
“It is not about elections but the values of the party. Goa has a long history of migration. Goans have enriched every country to which they migrated. Many of them have and continue to hold high posts in Civil, Corporate, Government including Military and Education and Research establishments in many Countries. But such statement from senior most leader is embarrassing and uncalled for,” he explained.
“We believe in dignity of labor and consider work as worship. No work is shameful or that can be humiliating,” he said. The Mahila Congress wing of the also feels ashamed of the statement and want to apologise to Goans on behalf of the party.
“We respect Rane as a senior most leader with vast experience. His statement I feel is an insult to the Goans who are working abroad due to failure of successive governments to give them jobs,” Mahila Congress president Pratima Coutinho told Herald from Delhi.
