MARGAO
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday said the Goa unit of the party would take the decision on stitching alliances with other political parties in the State for the upcoming Assembly elections.
Winding up his two-day visit to Goa, Kharge presided over a meeting of the Congress Political Affairs Committee (PAC) and said the party’s central leadership would intervene to resolve differences between like-minded parties if necessary to facilitate an alliance.
Goa Pradesh Congress Committee president Girish Chodankar also said the question of alliances was discussed at the PAC meeting. He said Kharge had heard the views of the committee members and that an appropriate decision would be taken. “The local Congress leadership will take the decision on the question of an alliance with other parties. If any issues crop up between them, these issues will be resolved at the level of the High Command,” Kharge told reporters after the PAC meeting at a resort in Utorda. Kharge said he was satisfied with the commitment given by Congress leaders to remain united and work together to win the forthcoming Assembly elections. “I spoke to all our leaders and made a plea that all should come together to fight the elections. They have given me the promise that they will unite. I am happy that, for the first time, the Congress had such a big meeting,” he said.
Lashing out at the BJP-led government, Kharge accused it of attempting to create fear among Opposition leaders and workers. He said it was encouraging to see Congress leaders and workers standing up to the government. “In a democratic setup, the government should focus on good governance. Instead, the BJP government appears hell-bent on working against the Opposition. This is not good for democracy. We are working to win the upcoming elections peacefully,” he said. During his visit, Kharge also met delegations representing various sections of society and received representations on issues concerning them.
