PANAJI: Newly appointed President of the State Congress unit Girish Chodankar was formally appointed as party president amid much fanfare in the presence of almost all Congress party MLAs and leaders save for Shiroda MLA Subhash Shirodkar.
Chodankar vowed to take the party forward keeping the people and voters at the centre and to work for the party, not for personal glorification but the glorification of the party and its symbol.
“I have asked my supporters and I ask you today, that nowhere will you see a cut-out of my photo posted anywhere. My photo will be that of the ‘hand’ symbol and that will be the only focus,” Chodankar said adding he would focus strengthening the organisation as well as improving the confidence of the grassroots level Congress worker.
“The Congress is a mass-based party and we will make it truly so. In all constituencies, regular meetings of the party will be held. All members will be given ID cards so they have something that will show them as members of the Congress. We will work not only during the elections but round the year,” Chodankar said that the focus of the party leadership will be to focus on education and health, both of which are neglected by the government.
“Rather than craving for tickets, the members of the party should be craving to have posts in the party’s hierarchy,” Chodankar said pointing out that as he seeks to build his team, he will look for party workers who do not hesitate to take to the streets to demand their grievances and who will be willing to accompany him to police stations as and when the government slaps cases against him or seeks to harass him.
“This government if of untruths and lies. We have to counter this with the truth, with transparency,” Girish said.
Chodankar recalled that it was the Congress party that gave Goa the opinion poll, Konkani as the official language and statehood as well as development.
The meeting reverberated with recollections of how the BJP stole the mandate of the “people” with Congress leaders and MLAs young and old singing praises of the party’s decision to appoint a young leader as party president but also pointing to the challenges before him.
Girish was beholden as a young leader who has risen up from being a grassroots workers to the highest post of the Congress in the State.
To the beating of drums, and rounds of applause Chodankar was mobbed by Congress party workers at the conclusion of the marathon function.
