PANAJI
In the first signs of unity, the Opposition Congress convened the first joint meeting of constituent political parties of the INDIA bloc where a decision was taken to form a ‘coordination committee’ to strategise the electoral battle for both the Lok Sabha seats in Goa.
All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge of Goa, Manikrao Thakare, who addressed a press conference in the presence of leaders and MLAs of the Congress, AAP and Goa Forward Party, besides office bearers of the NCP (Pawar faction) and Shiv Sena (UBT), also said that the Congress will announce the names of both the candidates in one go very soon.
GFP’s Vijai Sardesai was the only legislator who was not present at the meeting and later at the press conference as he is in Delhi to attend a friend’s wedding, according to his party leader Durgadas Kamat, who was present.
Thakare, a former Maharashtra minister, also denied that indecisiveness in the Congress over candidate selection was causing the delay saying the party has completed State level deliberations which is part of the process of choosing candidates.
“The Central Election Committee and Congress Working Committee will now take the decision and the names will then be announced,” Thakare said.
Thakare hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for what he called was its hidden agenda of destroying democratic principles and the mandate of the country’s Constitution.
“The BJP and the Modi government is heading towards finishing democracy. It is for this reason that all the political parties have come under the umbrella of the INDI Alliance to become the antidote to their destruction of democracy and the Constitution,” Thakare said.
He said, contrary to the general claim that BJP is electorally powerful, the autocratic functioning of the federal government has upset the general public which is evident even here in Goa.
“I am confident that all the parties of the INDIA bloc will fight the battle unitedly and win both the Lok Sabha seats in Goa,” Thakare said.
To a query on the choice of candidates for the two seats, Thakare said, it was not on the agenda of Wednesday’s meeting of all parties of the INDI Alliance and a decision on it will be taken by the Congress party in Delhi.
“The party will announce both the names in one go. Why don’t you ask the BJP why they were unable to announce names of candidates for both the Goa seats? Why did they announce for the North Goa seat and not for the South Goa seat?” Thakare shot back.
RGP move meant to help BJP
Thakare said the decision by the Revolutionary Goans Party (RGP) to contest the Lok Sabha election independently is a well-planned move to help BJP by splitting the anti-BJP vote.
“It is the ‘B team’ of the BJP. In whose favour will it work? Whom will it help? It is clear that it is a well-planned move to help them (BJP),” Thakare said.
