MARGAO
Congress Goa desk in-charge, Dinesh Gundu Rao’s insistence of an alignment before forging an alliance with like-minded parties seemed to have left party workers antagonised in certain blocks, threatening to derail the party engine.
In fact, even before the party leadership could go back to the board room to draw the alignment before getting to the serious business of stitching an alliance, the Congress suffered a jolt in Fatorda, the second jolt in the last three months, where the party leadership has entered into a discussion mode with Goa Forward chief Vijai Sardesai.
Exactly three months after Fatorda block Congress chief Piedade Noronha and party 2017 candidate Joseph Silva on August 17 quit the party to embrace the BJP, party leader Ethel Lobo and a long-time political foe of the Goa Forward chief has quit the Congress, severing ties with the party spanning around 30 years.
A close confidante of South Goa MP Francisco Sardinha, Ethel’s resignation has become the subject matter of debate, more so when the party leadership had unveiled a road map to make all the 40 blocks battle ready before the party entered into discussions with the Goa Forward party.
The development assumes significance as it comes against the backdrop of the MP vehemently opposing any alliance with Goa Forward party or the Nationalist Congress Party. That’s not all. Sardinha had taken charge of Fatorda to galvanise the party rank and file to make them battle ready in the wake of the call by party leadership to strengthen the party in all the 40 blocks.
Ethel’s resignation letter addressed to the GPCC president speaks for itself as she blamed the Goa Pradesh Congress Committee for the lack of courage to fight the election against known traitors and instead indulging in talks of alliance with such persons.
She posed a question to the GPCC chief why should the Congress workers accept the man (Vijai Sardesai), who supported and was the alliance partner of the BJP party in 2017? “What guarantee can anyone supporting the alliance with Goa Forward give that this party and its leader won’t betray us and join the NDA back again in 2022?
“History is a good teacher but the Congress party is a poor student. Yet certain leaders want to ally with Vijai Sardesai to protect their own positions in their constituencies, lest Sardesai fields a candidate against them and they lose the election. These leaders don’t care if the Congress party’s reputation is ruined by aligning with Goa Forward,” she added.
Ethel did not spare Opposition Leader Digambar Kamat. “How could the party remain silent when Digambar Kamat decided to align with Vijai Sardesai in Margao-Fatorda municipal elections? Any other party would have taken action against Kamat for anti-party activities,” she said.
Fatorda, Benaulim workers protest over alliance moves with GF, NCP
MARGAO: As the party top leadership spoke the language of alignments and alliances to fight the 2022 battle, a group of party workers from Fatorda and Benaulim and other places on Wednesday gave vent to their sentiments to South Goa MP Francisco Sardinha during his visit to the South Goa district office.
Hours before party Fatorda leader Ethel Lobo put in her papers to the GPCC chief Girish Chodankar, a group of party workers from Fatorda and outside called on the South Goa MP and protested over moves by the party leadership to join hands with parties which had in the past betrayed the Congress.
They were categorical in saying the Congress should fight the elections on its own strength in both Fatorda and Benaulim, the two seats, which are represented by the Goa Forward party and the Nationalist Congress Party.
In fact, the workers questioned how come the leadership got the workers to make new members and strengthen the party at the booths when the top leadership is holding talks with the Goa Forward and the NCP simultaneously.
The MP was categorical in reiterating his stand that the party should not forge any alliances and should fight the ensuing elections alone on its own strength.
Sardinha’s explanation, however, hardly had any takers, with the workers demanding to know the names of the party top leaders working overtime and rooting for an alliance.
Sardinha opts to stay quiet
MARGAO: South Goa MP Francisco Sardinha has declined to comment on Ethel Lobo’s decision to quit the Congress and join the TMC. “I have nothing to say on the matter,” was how Sardinha reacted when asked to comment on Ethel’s decision to quit the Congress.
On the video going viral on the social media reportedly showing him speaking against the GPCC chief Girish Chodankar, Sardinha said he does not remember if he had said anything privately to anyone. He, however, hastened to add that whether anyone likes him or not, Girish Chodankar happens to be the president of the Congress party.
