PANAJI
Congress block committee members on Saturday vociferously opposed any form of gathbandhan or mahagathbandhan in the ensuing assembly polls at a karyakartha meeting held in the city in the presence of All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary and in-charge of Goa Digvijaya Singh.
Singh, in turn, asked each block member to continue the work and said the party would soon announce its decision on any alliance.
Speaking to party workers, Singh said, “elections in Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Goa are big challenges for the Congress and we have to be united to fight the BJP which is totally communal and opportunist.”
He also pointed fingers at the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) calling it the other side of BJP and urged partymen to focus on bringing Congress back to power.
“The AICC has no favourites. But you as candidates have to compromise and be committed to fight BJP and AAP. Ensure that the party comes to power. AAP is known to support the BJP. If there is a gathbandhan, it is between the AAP and BJP. They are two sides of the same coin,” he said adding that Congress was a party that had been around the longest and that it would be difficult to write the party off.
He also urged senior leaders including Pratapsingh Rane, Luizinho Faleiro and Francisco Sardinha, who were also present for the meeting, to refrain from making any contradictory statements on the alliance issue.
“Contradictory statements by elected representatives on gathbandhan must stop. It is unfortunate that we have not been able to discuss it in detail. I appeal to senior leaders who are part of the executive committee or some other committee to sit down and talk about it,” Singh said.
He said the High Command in consultation with the Pradesh Congress Committee would take a decision on whether to go ahead with the alliance or not.
Presidents of the block committees also questioned the party’s stand on casinos asking Singh to clarify.
Speaking to media after the meeting, Singh said the names of party candidates would be announced soon adding, Congress was prepared to contest all 40 seats if the need arises.
On Pandurang Madkaikar switching sides, he said talks were on with Madkaikar as well as Babu Kavelkar.
