MARGAO
Squarely blaming the party leadership for the state of party affairs, Congress leader Ethel Lobo has said that selfish party leaders have forced the party to play second fiddle in Fatorda, leaving the party workers to work as pillion riders in the Congress stronghold.
The Congress South Goa district general secretary, who has been associated with Fatorda for the last three decades, further said the same party leadership is trying to put a disaster management in place as a stop gap arrangement ahead of the 2022 polls just to put the wool over people’s eyes.
Ethel pointed out that the Margao Municipal Alliance was formed by the Congress and Goa Forward without consulting the Fatorda block, lamenting that displeasure expressed by the party workers was ignored by the leadership.
“We have been asking for a revamp of the party. Time and again, the party has lost. We have asked to reboot the party. There’s growing frustration amongst the party rank and file. Outgoing Block president Pieadade Norohna had voiced her concern over the decline of the party, but there was an attempt made to divide the party. Certain persons were brought in without consulting the block”, she said.
Ethel added: “Some people have called the Congress leaders who left the party as the BJP’s B team. Those who are saying this had enjoyed honeymoon with the BJP. They have showed the path for others to follow”.
Saying the time is too short for the Congress to reorganize the party, Ethel said “when the party had time, they all played hide and seek. Some of these leaders were only interested in increasing the feud in the party. “The ruling party has taken advantage of the situation. From 2012 to 2021, Piedade was working for the Congress in Fatorda, but no help was forthcoming from the party leaders. They are now getting new faces in the party. Let them first work in the party”, she said.
Saying that the party will go on a downslide when it is led by people without a vision, Ethel attributed the present state of affairs of the party to lack of unity, absence of leadership, who can lead the party.
“Where will the workers go when they have no platform to air their grievances and no motivation and encouragement coming from the party leadership? We have been asking to revamp and revive and reboot the party after the failures, but in vain”, she lamented.
