Twenty four hours before the half day long CongressConvention at Clube Gaspar Dias at Miramar, Subhash Shirodkar informally toldThe Goan that Babush Monseratte and Pandurang Madkaikar will ensure that theconvention is a damp squib. His prediction turned ominously true, as evenDigambar Kamat added himself to the list of absentees. A few Congress wannabesand brave hearts, including its so called “President” and so called ‘WorkingPresident” attended a thinly attended Congress meet, seven months after theparty was decimated at Goa Assembly polls.
And nothing has changed. The closest comparison thatCongress in Goa resembles is to a well full of crabs, each pulling the otherdown. “In Congress, forget discipline there was no party, no cadre. Onlygreed,” says a former Youth leader waiting to break into the seniors league.“The party has been divided conveniently amongst the Ranes, the Alemaos and nowthe Monserrates. The question is where are these people after so many months ofthat crushing defeat”, says the greenhorn.
And he is not wrong. The three Congress families had held upthe ticket allotment process to ransom during Assembly Elections and havedisappeared from public thereafter.
Shockingly, even the ongoing mining mess has Congressleaders trying to find ways to bail themselves out rather than serving as aconstructive opposition to champion people’s cause. But after creating themining mess, the Congress wants the BJP to clean up. “Nothing happened duringour tenure. All this mess happened aft er Parrikar came to power and promisedto punish the mine owners. The Supreme Court too did the same,” explainsSankalp Amonkar, spokesman and former Youth Congress President. Amonkarhowever, has no answers as he himself was missing from the long overdue partymeeting.
Heavyweight MLAs including Digambar Kamat, Vishwajeet Rane,Babush Monserrate and Pandurang Madkaikar stayed away. Also missing was the firebrand Mauvin Godinho.
In a chat with The Goan in July this year, Godinho had told,“The basic fact about any party’s evolution is its own house. Despite being inpower for so long, we could not build or buy a premises of our own and continueto remain in a rented place while smaller parties have swankier places. For thepowers that be, Congress was always a milch cow, no one cared to give back tothe party and only received from it”. The now sidelined Congressman’s wordstill stands true. The Alemaos or the Ranes never cared to talk about partyreorganization after the shock defeat. They were missing at the Conventionwhere there was nothing at stake.
The muddle starts at the top. There is utter chaos about thesanctity and the need for two presidents. While Subhash Shirodkar who resignedas GPCC President to concentrate on polls made a mysterious comeback as hisresignation was not accepted and he was asked to continue. “I was President forlast four years, and as my resignation was not accepted by the party highcommand, I continue.
There is no separate memorandum or order to state that Iremain GPCC President, says Subhash Shirodkar. However Subhash says that hewill step down if anybody objects. But then why is Francisco Sardinha still theWorking President then?
GPCC General Secretary Altinho Gomes is more truthful.“Subhash Shirodkar’s resignation as GPCC President was duly accepted. Hehowever was asked to continue till new president is declared”, Gomes said. “Iwas made Working President during elections and I still remain the same. Since theresignation of Subhas Shirodkar, who was a candidate at that time was not accepted,he also continues to remain the President”, Sardinha said. For a party thatcannot hold its flock together, two Presidents is a bit farfetched. HoweverHigh Command feels that, “There is no issue with regards to working or actingpresident”, said Sudhakar Reddy, Goa desk in charge.
One of the seasoned vocal faces of Congress at the moment,Curtorim MLA Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco began addressing the Convention as, “Iam happy that the Congress at least exists in the state”, a clear cut admissionthat the party which calls itself as party of masses was actually missing inaction.
For a party that has two heads, it has too many mouths too.The party actually has almost a dozen odd spokespersons. But a conditionallyamnesic Congress does not recollect who they are. In GPCC Prez Sardinha’s ownwords “I am not aware of how many spokesperson has the party today appointed inthe state.”
Shirodkar differs. “As per the power vested in me, I haveappointed four spokespersons,” said GPCC Shirodkar who is actually only anacting president. But when asked to name them, he did not remember.
The tale of Congress spokespersons is hilarious. Even the towerof Babel had more coherent voices. Sankalp Amonkar and Girish Chodankar claimthey were appointed by the ubiquitous “High Command” but there’s nothingofficial about it. Sudeep Tamankar was appointed spokesman by Subhash Shirodkarimmediately after he joined. Of course there is Deshprabhu who carriedShirodkars letter to him appointing him spokesman, as his identity card. Butthe party officially knows nothing about it.
And then there are the officially appointed ones MauvinGodinho, Valanka Alemao, Vishwajeet Rane and Ramakant Khalap, who actually onpaper, have the most sanctity. None of them turned up for the Congress “convention”though.
