the goan I network
PANAJI
Despite internal differences and clashes among its leaders, the Congress is scrupulously gearing up its party apparatus and is deputing its top central leaders to Goa in a bid to enthuse party workers ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections due in the first half of 2019.
On Sunday, AICC general secretary in-charge of Goa desk, Dr Chellakumar, presided over a block-level workers’ meeting at Pernem where he exhorted party cadres to fan out to nooks and corners of the State and strengthen the party.
Local bigwigs including GPCC chief, Girish Chodankar, Tivim MLA, Nilkanth Halarnkar, former union minister Ramakant Khalap, former legislator Jitendra Deshprabhu and other office bearers were in attendance at the Pernem meet.
On Monday, the Congress’ national spokesperson, Priyanka Chaturvedi, is slated to address the media on the alleged Rafale scam, which the party is using to target Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Chaturvedi’s choice of addressing the media in Goa over the controversial Indo-French defence deal gains significance in light of the fact that Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar was the country’s defence minister when the deal was signed during Modi’s 2016 official tour to France.
The road to a successful 2019 Lok Sabha poll campaign, however, could be a bumpy one for the principal Opposition party in the State with the party’s top leadership struggling to put up an united face.
Dr Chellakumar faced symptoms of these internal divisions at the Sunday Pernem meet where he struggled to pacify boisterous groups of workers who were rooting for their own leaders to secure the party ticket for the North Goa parliamentary seat.
With much difficulty the AICC general secretary managed to pacify the workers and exhorted them to work to strengthen the party in all nooks and corners of the State.
Meanwhile, over the last couple of days, Dr Chellakumar and GPCC President Girish Chodankar toured other Assembly segments in both North and South Goa where they had discussions with local leaders and workers.
The party leadership will also have its task cut out when it reaches the hurdle of choosing candidates. Multiple Congressmen have been publicly staking their individual claims and the race for the party nomination could get murky in the coming months.
