Viriato says high command never consulted him on reshuffle
MARGAO
Raising a banner of revolt against the appointment of Girish Chodankar as the new Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) president, Congress workers confronted South Goa MP Captain Viriato Fernandes at Varca on Saturday over the abrupt removal of Amit Patkar from the party’s top State post.
Responding to the workers’ concerns, Fernandes categorically stated that he was neither consulted nor asked for his opinion by the Congress high command before the decision was taken to replace Patkar with Chodankar.
In fact, the MP revealed that he learnt about the development only after someone forwarded him a copy of the appointment order on Friday evening.
A group of Congress workers met Fernandes to register their protest against Patkar’s removal, arguing that neither party workers nor office-bearers had been consulted before the leadership change was announced.
“We have come to meet you to understand why the high command removed Patkar when he worked tirelessly to strengthen the party over the last four-and-a-half years. Under his leadership, the Congress won the South Goa Lok Sabha seat and increased its tally of Zilla Panchayat seats in last year’s elections,” the workers told the MP.
The workers further questioned the rationale behind the decision, asking, “What mistakes did Patkar commit that forced the high command to remove him from the GPCC post? Was he inefficient in discharging his responsibilities? With what face will we now approach the people of Goa? There are already allegations of fixing and backroom dealings surrounding the appointment of the new president.”
Referring to repeated assertions by Congress leaders that the party functions democratically, the workers demanded to know whether any consultations had been held with block-level units before implementing the leadership change.
They also questioned why the high command had reinstated the same leader who had stepped down following the party’s defeat in the 2022 Assembly elections.
The workers urged Fernandes to seek an appointment with the Congress high command and obtain a clear explanation for Patkar’s removal.
While the South Goa MP initially gave the delegation a patient hearing, he lost his temper at one stage when a worker repeatedly sought his personal stand on the issue. “I will lose my temper if you continue to provoke me into giving my stand. This is not the place to discuss such matters. All I can say is that neither was I consulted nor was I asked to give my opinion on the matter,” Fernandes said.
When a worker reminded him that party workers had played a key role in his Lok Sabha election victory, Fernandes acknowledged their support. “I am indeed indebted to all of you for supporting me in the election. But I am completely clueless about this decision. I am being honest with you—I was not consulted on the matter,” he added.
After GPCC exit, Patkar now eyes Curchorem battle
MARGAO: Outgoing GPCC chief Amit Patkar on Saturday said he would now devote greater attention to his Curchorem constituency as he gears up for the 2027 Assembly elections.
Asked whether he was confident of wresting the Curchorem seat from the BJP, Patkar said the BJP had won the seat by huge margins until he mounted a strong challenge in 2022.
“I lost the Curchorem election by a whisker. Since I could not devote adequate time to my people in Curchorem while shouldering the responsibility of strengthening the Congress across the State, I will now focus on my constituency and prepare for the 2027 election,” he said.
Stating that he had no regrets after being replaced by the party high command since he had put his heart and soul in strengthening the party in the last four years, Patkar expressed gratitude to the Congress leadership, including Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, for giving him the opportunity to lead the party in Goa.
“I have no regrets because we succeeded in strengthening the Congress organisation across all blocks. In Benaulim, we have a woman representative in the Zilla Parishad. The Congress also won the ZP elections in Velim and Benaulim, despite these constituencies being represented by AAP MLAs,” he said.
