the goan I network
MARGAO
Will the Congress leadership learn a lesson or two from last week’s political developments when block after block walked out of the party along with the MLAs to embrace the BJP?
Even as the South district Congress Committee is on the job to dissolve the blocks, one question that may come back to haunt the party leadership is “ whether the party will take a cue from the recent developments and organise the blocks with members dedicated to the Congress principles and not loyal to the MLAs?
Congress Party MLAs maintaining stranglehold over the block panels, district committees and PCCs is virtually a norm in the Congress than an exception. That MLAs stuff the various party panels with their henchmen and cronies is an open secret, barring an exception or two.
Take the case of the five Congress blocks of Quepem, Canacona, Cuncolim, Velim and Nuvem. The district Committee has dissolved the five blocks for the reason that the committee members have all walked out of the party with the MLAs. Says district Congress Committee President Joe Dias: “We had to take the action since our information revealed that these blocks were all stuffed by the five MLAs, who have moved out of the party”.
A bigger question, however, stares at the South Goa district Committee Chief. With the blocks lying deserted since last week, Joe and the Congress leadership faces and acid test to re-constitute the blocks all over again. The problem is further compounded by the fact that the Congress party is neither cadre-based organization nor has a dedicated team of workers to devote time and energy for the party organization.
In fact, the district Congress panel is on the job to scout members to take up positions in the block committee and the booth-level committees.
A senior congress leader told The Goan that unlike the cadre-based party such as the BJP, the Congress has no dedicated workers worth its name, giving enough room for the MLAs and leaders to
manipulate the constitution of the local level party committees.
Says political commentator, Adv Cleofato Coutinho: “It’s a fact that the Congress is not a cadre-based party. Parties such as the BJP do not suffer from mass desertions by the party rank and file when MLAs quit the party since they are cadre-based parties”.
To overcome such a situation, Adv Coutinho suggested that the Congress leadership should consciously developed leaders at the booth, block, district and PCC level independently of the MLAs. “The moment you allow the MLAs to have their men at the Panchayat, Municipality and booth level, they will certainly maintain stranglehold over these local bodies”, he said, adding “the Congress leadership should somewhere make a beginning to chart out a new course and put the party on a strong footing.
