PANAJI
After days of a simmering cold war between MLA Viresh Borkar and his supporters on one side, and Manoj Parab along with his supporters on the other, Parab on Thursday announced that he was stepping down as chief of the Revolutionary Goans Party (RGP).
Addressing a press conference in Panaji, Parab also declared his resignation as a founding member of the party, taking responsibility for 'failure to effectively handle and strengthen the party organisation.'
The resignation comes amid growing internal tensions within the regional party, with differences between the two camps playing out publicly in recent days.
Parab, who was accompanied by party leader Ajay Kholkar and General Secretary Vishwas Naik, expressed disappointment over the current internal situation but clarified that the party itself would continue to remain active.
“I have stepped down from my post, but the party will remain active,” Parab said during the emotional interaction with the media.
Parab said he was deeply hurt by a recent press conference allegedly conducted by certain block-level leaders without informing or taking consent from the party committee. He alleged that some leaders within the organisation were conspiring against the party and attempting to create divisions.
n the party’s journey, Parab admitted that he failed to take firm decisions at crucial moments when internal issues began surfacing. According to him, the party functioned effectively between 2017 and 2022 while actively fighting against what he termed as forces that “destroyed Goa.” However, he claimed that after 2022, the RGP slowly began transforming into a traditional political party.
“Until 2022 everything was going well. But after that, the party slowly started becoming like the very traditional political system we had opposed,” he said.
The announcement left several party members emotional, with both Ajay Kholkar and Vishwas Naik visibly moved during the press conference.
Kholkar later stated that the formal resignation process would be completed after internal discussions and assured that the exact reasons behind the resignation would be communicated officially soon.
