PANAJI
Goan politics' most prolific rolling-stone, Trajano D'Mello on Wednesday, unleashed hell and fury against the Congress party, in particular state president Girish Chodankar and working president Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco, accusing them of betraying the party's voters and questionable conduct.
A day after the now-former Congress spokesperson was sacked from the party's primary membership for anti-party activities, D'Mello also dodged questions related to his future plans, amid speculation that he was likely to join the Trinamool Congress.
"In short, this expulsion is to silence the truth. I will not (keep silent). I will not, wherever I may be," D'Mello told a press conference in Panaji on Wednesday.
D'Mello, who joined the Congress from the Goa Forward Party sometime back, also alleged that Congress party spokespersons were not allowed to conduct press conferences on several contentious issues, including casinos, by Chodankar.
"Ashish Kamat (Congress spokesperson) was told not to take a press conference (and instead) consult the LoP (Leader of Opposition) and (Dinesh) Gundu Rao on casinos. I told Ashish Kamat to write back and send me a copy or 'you are a part of it'. He wrote to them with a copy to me, asking why you are not permitting me to speak about casinos. What is it? Is this not fixing? You want to bring BJP to power again, tell us that," D'Mello said.
In his media briefing, D'Mello also accused the state Congress president of allegedly indulging in "deal-making", blame for which, the former Congress leader said, is later shoved on other party workers.
He also accused Chodankar of a communal attitude and driving the Christian community into a corner with limited options during his Lok Sabha election campaign in 2019.
D'Mello also commented on Congress working president Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco's 'accidental' meeting with BJP's Goa election in-charge Devendra Fadnavis, questioning the motive behind the mysterious developments on Monday midnight at a starred hotel in Panaji.
"Even a thief will not get so nervous (like a) thief when he is caught as the lock is being opened. He is now saying I had not gone to break the lock, but I had gone to see whether the lock is safe. See his face, his body language," D'Mello said, referring to a video in which Lourenco urged the media to not record his presence at the starred resort after a meeting with Fadnavis.
"The party president says that he had to send him to a strategist. What is the strategy to go and do the deal and collect the money?" D'Mello alleged.
When asked whether he was likely to join the Trinamool Congress, after his sacking by the Congress, D'mello said: "Today I am not going anywhere. Tomorrow, I do not know whether I am going to get up".
D'Mello was sacked from the Congress on Tuesday, a day after he slammed party leaders, including Chodankar, All India Congress Committee secretary in-charge of Goa Dinesh Gundu Rao and Congress senior observer for the Goa polls P Chidambaram for mismanaging the affairs of the party ahead of the state assembly polls.
