Congress election observer P Chidambaram, Goa desk in-charge Dinesh Gundu Rao and opposition leader Digambar Kamat receiving being accorded a welcome at the Margao block Congress meeting on Saturday. Santosh Mirajkar
MARGAO: In an attempt to instill confidence and boost the morale of the party grass root workers, Congress election observer for Goa, P Chidambaram on Saturday assured that workers will be the decision makers, asserting that every election related decision will be taken in full consultation with active party members, including the decision on the choice of candidates in all the 40 Assembly constituencies.
He further said the Congress poll machinery will roll out from October 1 ahead of the 2022 election, promising to reconstitute the various party committees by September 20.
“There will be no compromise on the decision that no one else will take the decision except the workers. Every election related decision will be taken by the active members. You will tell us who the candidate is, from where the resources will be collected, who will be constitute the booth committee and how much money should be made available for the committee and where the meetings will take place”, he said, while addressing party workers at the meeting of the Margao block Congress committee on Saturday.
He urged the workers to get ready with one goal to win the 2022 election, saying the Congress must win the election and form the government. We have only one goal. We are all foot soldiers. There are no big or small leaders. And, the goal of the army is to win the election. My job is to get the party ready for the battle. We are intelligent men and women, people from the Hindu, Muslim and Catholic communities. We have abundant human resources which we have to weld into an election machinery to win the election”, he added.
Chidambaram said the party will not make the mistake like in 2017 if the workers follow his advice. “I know how humiliating it was in 2017 when people had given us 18 MLAs, 13 of whom left the party. They not only betrayed the party, but the electorate as well”, he said.
Urging the workers to take the responsibility of the coming election, he said the party will not repeat the 2017 mistake when the party workers take the decisions in all the 40 constituencies.
In his address, AICC Goa desk in-charge, Dinesh Gundu Rao said the Congress has a one-point agenda to come to power in 2022 and give a corruption-free and people friendly government
Terming the BJP government in Goa as illegitimate, Dinesh reminded the people that the BJP had formed the government without the mandate of Goan people. “The election of Digambar Kamat from Margao is not an issue for the Congress. But, there is a responsibility of the Opposition Leader Digambar Kamat, GPCC Chief Girish Chodankar, Working President Alexio Sequeira and others to ensure that the Congress returns back to power and form the government in 2022”, he added.
He charge the BJP government in Goa for the destruction of the state and for taking decision against the spirt of democracy.
In his address, Opposition Leader Digambar Kamat said the BJP government in Goa has no guts to scrap the controversial projects such track doubling and to make Goa a coal hub because the BJP have drawn up plans to give these projects to their people. “I was the only Chief Minister in the country who had scrapped the SEZ policy by bowing down to the wishes of Goans. This government is pursuing the anti-people projects because it has no guts to say no to the party leaders in Delhi”, he said.
Kamat outlined the achievements of his government during his five year stint between 2007-2012, adding that the BJP tried to sabotage some of the projects, including the district hospital project.
In his address, GPCC Chief Girish Chodankar recalled how the BJP government tried to implicate Opposition leader in various cases. He said the BJP had come to power in 2012 by fooling the people of Goa on the mining front. He also lambasted the BJP government for stopping the grants to English medium schools, denying the students from the Bahujan Samaj education in English medium.
Mashelkar, Correia vision to be
incorporated with that of party
MARGAO: Saying that the Congress will unveil the party vision for Goa in the election manifesto, P Chidambaram on Saturday said the party will incorporate the vision of sons of Goa including scientist R Mashelkar and Charles Correia to prepare the vision document.
He also slammed the BJP for the homogenization of the country, saying the BJP is the biggest enemy of the country.
“We have a clear goal and vision for Goa, which will reflect in our manifesto which will be unveiled ahead of the Assembly election. Goa can become a hub for service and industry. Goa can preserve its environment. And, this can be done when the blueprint is put in place. We will incorporate the vision of sons of the soil including scientist Mashelkar and Charles Correia to put the blueprint in place, There may be other Goans who will be willing to help us put the vision in place”, he added.
Demanding to know why the people of India should accept one culture, one food habit etc, he said the people of country will never accept homogenization. “The party that is propagating homogenization is the BJP. This party is the biggest enemy of the country”, he warned.
