the goan I network
MARGAO/PANAJI
All eyes are focused on Thursday’s crucial one-on-one meeting called by Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi with local Congress leaders, even as most of the party MLAs, including all the three legislators from South, are expected to strongly root for an alliance with secular parties in the 2017 Assembly election.
While Cumbharjua MLA Pandurang Madkaikar has made it clear that he will not attend the meeting, Valpoi MLA Vishwajeet Rane has confirmed his participation.
According to available information, others to be present at the meeting are Opposition Leader Pratapsing Rane, Digambar Kamat, Babu Kavlekar and Alexio Reginaldo Lourenco.
Besides Madkaikar, other Congress MLAs who are not attending the meeting are Jennifer Monserrate and Mauvin Godinho, who have already decided to part ways with the Congress.
A Congress MLA told The Goan before leaving for the national capital on Wednesday that he would impress upon Rahul Gandhi to forge an alliance with like-minded and secular parties, including the Goa Forward party, Nationalist Congress Party and Babush Monserrate’s yet to be born United Goans Party.
Thursday’s meeting with Rahul Gandhi assumes significance as it would provide a platform for the first time to the votaries of alliance to convey their views and sentiments to the Congress leader. The meeting, sources in the party said, will be capitalised by the votaries of alliance, in a bid to negate and counter certain local party leaders who are not keen and enthusiastic in stitching an alliance with the three like-minded parties and individuals.
The meeting also assumes significance since Rahul Gandhi, sources in the know said, has been in favour of persons like Independent MLA Vijai Sardesai joining the party.
Against this backdrop, the votaries of alliance within the Congress in private say that the one-on-one meeting with Rahul Gandhi will indeed give them the opportunity to impress and convince him on the need to forge an alliance if the party hopes to return back to power in the state.
Congress MLAs from down South, including Digambar Kamat, Reginaldo Lourenco and Babu Kavlekar had been in the recent past vocal in demanding that the Congress should stitch an alliance with the like-minded parties and fight the coming poll jointly.
Quepem MLA Babu Kavlekar, in particular, has been working overtime over the last one month, meeting Congress leaders, including All India Congress general secretary in-charge of Goa desk, Digvijay Singh, with the plea to tie up with people like Vijai Sardesai and Babush Monserrate
