Shantaram is Cong prez, warns BJP against anti-people acts

MARGAO r r Charging the BJP with committing the “midnight dacoity” by forming the government against the people’s mandate, Naik vowed to build the party from the grass-roots, making it clear that the party will not spare the BJP-led government if its actions go against the interest of the people. r While expressing gratitude to Congress president, Sonia Gandhi and vice-President Rahul Gandhi for reposing faith and trust in him, Naik said he will formally take charge from the outgoing president, Luizinho Faleiro on Saturday noon. Flanked by senior Congress general secretary Altinho Gomes at his Gogol residence on Friday, the new president said he has been appointed as the full-time president by the Congress president, adding that he may contest the post during the ongoing organizational polls. r “I have drawn up a plan to build the party from the booth level. There’s a need to build the party from the grassroots. I will ask the party rank and file to make time in the party building exercise”, he said. r When his attention was drawn to statements made by outgoing president, Luizinho Faleiro that he had succeeding in putting the organization back on the rails, Naik said his predecessor might have worked to build the party in his own way, adding that he will re-build the party from the grass-roots. “I will bring back the confidence amongst the Congress workers. I will work with dedication and commitment”, he said. “Work for the party’s programme and policies and work sincerely in every aspect of party’s activities”, was Naik’s message the party workers. r When asked whether he has been appointed to head the GPCC given that he has been a long time party loyalist, Naik said “I don’t think my appointment has anything to do with my loyalty, I have been a sincere party worker and I think I have been given an opportunity to serve the party better”. r On the formation of the BJP-led government, Naik said it was the responsibility of the governor to find out which political party has received the mandate of the people in the election. “The government was formed by committing the midnight dacoity. Did anyone expect the Congress to knock the doors of the governor at midnight after the results started trickling in late evening of March 11? Was it not the duty of the governor to find out which party had got the mandate of the people? he asked. r Naik had been a Lok Sabha MP, representing North Goa in the 1984 election before he made it to the Rajya Sabha for two terms. “I can say with pride that I was responsible behind the Centre’s decision to accord statehood for Goa. I still remember that I had raised the issue of statehood during the zero hour and then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had accepted the demand immediately”, he said. Naik claimed that he had presided over the affairs of the Goa Pradesh Congress Committee on three occasions in the past.