the goan I network
MARGAO
A Congress party delegation from Goa led by Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) Chief Girish Chodankar on Saturday submitted a memorandum addressed to its national president Sonia Gandhi with a plea to disqualify all the 10 party MLAs, who had quit to join the BJP.
The memorandum was handed over to All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary in-charge of Goa desk, Dr Chella Kumar as Ms Gandhi was preoccupied with party work.
Dr Chella, however, said he and the party leadership will study the memorandum submitted by the GPCC for the expulsion of the MLAs in the light of the disqualification petition now hanging over their heads.
The AICC general secretary telephonically told The Goan that while he has received the memorandum from the GPCC delegation, the contents in the memorandum will be studied before taking a call. “A disqualification petition is already filed against the 10 MLAs, who had quit the Congress to join the BJP on July 9. Since the hearings have started before the Speaker, we will take a call on the request for expulsion taking into account the disqualification petition pending before the 10 MLAs,” Dr Chella said.
The GPCC Executive Council had over a month ago adopted a resolution seeking the expulsion of the MLAs who had quit the party after getting elected on the party banner in 2017. This follows resolutions adopted by the Congress North and South Goa district committees seeking the expulsion of the MLAs.
Besides Chodankar, the presidents of North and South Goa district Congress Vijai Bhike and Joe Dias, PCC general secretary Subhash Faldesai, and South Goa district committee members, Deepak Kharangate, Peter Gomes, Yeman D’Souza and others were part of the delegation.
The delegation is also believed to have called on party leader K Venugopal and discussed organizational matters, including a training programme for the district committee office bearers on the forthcoming membership drive.
