the goan I network
MARGAO
Congress leaders took the Party Foundation Day to give a call to the party rank and file to gear up to wrest both the North and South Goa Lok Sabha seats, saying the mood amongst the electorate favours the return of the Congress in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
Former Chief Minister Digambar Kamat further asked the party workers to be prepared to face not only the ensuing Lok Sabha poll, but the by-elections for the Shiroda and Mandrem seats and even the mid-term poll if forced on the people of Goa.
“The victory of the Congress cannot be stopped by the ruling party. Public anger against the government is visible everywhere. The mood amongst the electorate is for a change,” Digambar said, while addressing the workers at the South Goa district Congress office on Friday.
He said return of the Congress in the three Hindi speaking states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chattisgarh shows that the Congress roots are still strong across the country. He poop-poohed the claim made by the ruling party people that the Congress did nothing for the country, and recalled the contribution of Mahatma Gandhi, Subhash Chandra Bose, Jawaharlal Nehru and others towards the building of modern and
strong India.
In his address, Leader of the Opposition, Babu Kavlekar took a dig at the BJP leaders for their agenda for a ‘Congress Mukt Bharat’. He said even the British rulers during their long spell of rule over the country had never worked to ensure a India-free from the Congress, adding that the BJP may face decimation in the ensuing Lok Sabha polls if one goes by the mood of the people.
The Opposition leader exhorted the party workers to rededicate themselves and work hard towards the return of the Congress to power in the State. “The mood favours the Congress and hard work put in by the workers will go a long way in ensuring the return of the party to power,” Kavlekar added.
Former Chief Minister Ravi Naik told the workers to put in efforts to win in all the 40 Assembly constituencies if a mid-term poll is forced on the people of Goa. “We have to all work hard and win both the Lok Sabha seats and strengthen the hands of Congress president Rahul Gandhi,” he said, while taking a dig at the BJP for making the false electoral promises in 2014 to deposit Rs 15 lakh in the accounts of every citizen of the country.
Speaking on the occasion, former MP Francisco Sardinha exuded confidence that the people of Goa will give the Congress a clear mandate in the 2019 Lok Sabha election. “Congress workers will have to work hard to ensure that the Congress wins both the North and South Goa Lok Sabha seats,” Sardinha added.
Congress district president Joe Dias, former district President Subhash Faldesai and district general secretary Deepak Kharangate spoke on the occasion.
The district Congress also honoured five senior congressmen, Prakash Surya Parkar (Ponda), Somnath Mapari (Sanvordem), Vittu Gaude (Shiroda), Leo Coutinho (Cuncolim), Erish Fernandes (Benaulim) and Gromiko Fernandes (Curtorim) for their contribution to the Congress party.
