the goan I network
PANAJI
The Congress which on Saturday embarked on the task of rebuilding its organizational setup in Mandrem took on its renegade leader Dayanand Sopte and challenged him to reveal names of the 100-odd people he claims were given jobs by the BJP-led government and also identify the development works sanctioned.
“Sopte talks about working for his constituency, but in reality, he never fights for the people of Mandrem in the Assembly. If he hasn’t fought for them when in power, how will he do so now that he has resigned from his position?” asked Congress spokesperson Amarnath Panjikar addressing the media on Saturday.
Sopte had on Friday told the media that one of the reasons why he quit the Congress to join the ruling BJP was the magnanimity of Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, who had given jobs to 103 of his constituents despite the fact that Sopte was from the opposition and had also sanctioned works amounting to Rs 32 crores in the constituency.
Panjikar further alleged that there was something very fishy about Sopte and ex-MLAs Subhash Shirodkar going all the way to New Delhi to resign from their membership of the state Legislative Assembly.
“Before going to Delhi, they had told the press that they were going to Delhi for a function and for business. The “business” that they went to do with Amit Shah has now been exposed,” Panjikar said.
Meanwhile the Congress conducted meetings with office-bearers and senior Congressmen from Mandrem at its Panaji headquarters in its endeavor to re-constitute its block committee in that constituency a day after it dissolved it and the one from Shiroda.
GPCC chief Girish Chodankar and AICC general secretary in-charge of Goa, Dr Chella Kumar, were part of the meetings. Sources said a new block committee will be put in place for both Mandrem as well as Shiroda soon.
Panjikar, meanwhile, denied rumours that four more Congress MLAs were set to leave the party and join the Goa Forward Party.
“The 14 Congress MLAs are united,” he said, adding that all 14 of them had “gathered” together at Agnelo Fernandes’ hotel in Calangute to “discuss and plan on important issues.”
“Just like the BJP meets up to plan, our MLAs are doing the same,” said the Congress spokesperson. He denied that they were being kept together out of fear that some of them are leaving the party.
