MARGAO
Unveiling the Congress party’s plan on shortlisting candidates for the coming Assembly election, Congress election observer P Chidambaram on Sunday said candidates will have to satisfy the criteria of loyalty, integrity, acceptability to workers and winnability in the constituency before they are nominated by the party to contest the 2022 election.
He said the Congress will implement this model of selection of candidates and the party will apply the same in the rest of the country if it turns out to be successful in Goa.
Chidambaram further said party workers from the block will suggest names of maximum three candidates to the party for approval. “Let me assure you the names suggested by the block will be accepted by the party leadership. If the block does not suggest any name, there is no question of imposing the candidates,” he said, while addressing party workers from Quepem block at Fatorpa on Sunday.
He added: “Likewise, all election-related decisions will be taken by the workers. I am not saying this for the sake of saying. But, believe in me, the names of candidates will come from you. The party will take you into confidence while drafting the manifesto, chalk out the publicity campaign etc. The block will be taken on board for every decision. Don’t pass the buck this time, the buck stops with you”.
Admitting that party workers had a bitter experience in 2017, Chidambaram said it is a scar that will not go away so easily. “Whosoever had chosen the candidates had made a terrible mistake. I offer apologies to you on behalf of the All India Congress Committee. And I assure you such mistakes will not happen again,” he added.
Chidambaram, however, said though the MLAs had betrayed the Congress, their workers remained with the party. “We might forgive the MLAs for the betrayal, but we will never forget their betrayal. We have to wipe out the stigma and the shame by electing enough Congress MLAs to form the government,” he said, adding that the party will go about with one-point mission to form the government in Goa in 2022.
AICC Goa desk in-charge, Dinesh Gundu Rao, came down heavily on the BJP government both at the centre and in Goa for murdering democracy. He said the party is implementing a system in Goa wherein the local active workers will participate in the decision-making process.
Leader of Opposition Digambar Kamat said the time has come for the voters to question the BJP MLAs why the price of petrol has touched Rs 100 a litre and over the failure to provide the doles to the unemployed.
GPCC Chief Girish Chodankar said the party will seek guidance and expertise from P Chidambaram, who was the country’s former Finance Minister to put Goa’s economy back on track, especially to create employment opportunities for the unemployed.
South Goa MP Francisco Sardinha, Working president Alexio Sequeira and other leaders also addressed the workers. District President Joe Dias, Quepem Congress leader Alton D’Costa, Subhash Faldesai and Alvito D’Cunha were present at the meeting.
