MARGAO
The presence of Goa Pradesh Congress Committee Chief Girish Chodankar and Opposition Leader Digambar Kamat in the national capital on Friday triggered speculations over the purpose of their visit, coming as it does against the backdrop of TMC leaders arriving in the state and supporters of senior party leader Luizinho Faleiro going to the media with their sentiments against the state leadership.
Kamat, however, told The Goan that his presence along with Girish and AICC Goa desk in-charge, Dinesh Gundu Rao, was pertaining to meetings scheduled at the All India Congress Committee concerning the Goa Assembly polls.
The Opposition leader further maintained that their presence has nothing to do with TMC’s plan to make forays in Goa or the sentiments expressed by certain leaders against the party leadership. “We have come to Delhi to attend election-related meetings at the AICC headquarters. A host of meetings have taken place in the AICC headquarters and the exercise will continue late Friday evening,” Kamat said.
When asked whether the High Command has discussed TMC’s plans in Goa and the sentiments expressed by Congress veteran Luizinho Faleiro’s supporters, Kamat said his presence in the national capital has nothing to do with these issues.
Sources in the know pointed out that the high command has been trying to reach out to Congress veteran Faleiro over speculations in the media that he might quit the party to embrace Mamata Didi’s TMC.
Sources within the party and outside say that the Goa Congress leadership issue, which the High Command had tried to cap by retaining both Girish as the GPCC Chief and Kamat as the CLP leader, may come back to haunt the principal opposition party.
Questions are being raised in party circles on the political fallout if Faleiro and a couple of leaders from the minority community quit the Congress party on the eve of the 2022 election.
