Sandesh Prabhudesai
22 May 1999
Increasing disintegration in the Congress at national level over the
issue of Sonia Gandhi’s foreign origin may have direct repercussion on Goa, which is
facing state elections on June 4. But the local leaders appear least worried about
adopting damage control methods.
"It will have no adverse impact here. On the contrary, the
sympathy wave being created in favour of Mrs Gandhi would benefit us", claims
Luizinho Faleiro, the Goa PCC chief and former chief minister. However, he has not even
bothered to discuss the issue within the party.
"I have conveyed my request to her to withdraw her
resignation", he says. But senior Congressmen are enraged over Faleiro’s
negligent attitude. They are now planning to request to Ramesh Chennithala, the AICC joint
secretary co-ordinating elections here, to convene the GPCC meeting.
Though most of the leaders are trying to avoid calling even the PCC
office bearers’ meeting to take stock of the situation under the pretext of being
busy with election campaign, senior Congressmen wonder how the party could remain silent
when the worker is dejected and the sympathiser is confused over the issue.
While one camp claims that Faleiro is deliberately keeping mum because
he is equally close to P A Sangma, the expelled Congress leader, another camp feels the
local leaders have simply not understood gravity of the issue vis a vis the voter.
Instead of getting into the controversy, the local leadership appears
to have preferred to wait till elections to take any kind of stand since it may prove
fatal to the party’s prospects in case if any partyman comes out openly in support of
Pawar and company.
Way back in 1980, majority of the local Congress here had joined the
revolt waged by Devraj Urs and even won the Assembly polls under Congress (Urs), only to
convert themselves as Congress (Indira) overnight when Indira Gandhi swept elections at
national level. They probably do not want to repeat the history.
But getting more closer to the views expressed by the opposition
parties, Goa Youth Congress chief Vishnu Wagh admits that the national developments may
have some impact on state elections. "The Congress will be put to test", he
says, adding that decision needs to be taken on whether Congress should remain
personality-oriented or as an institution.
With almost all the youth congress nominees being rejected tickets by
Mrs Gandhi’s coterie, discontent is already brewing among the cadres here. The
present issue may help them as additional fuel to lit the fire on the eve of elections.
Wagh has convened the GPYC meeting on Monday to discuss the issue threadbare.
While claiming that the controversy would definitely affect Congress
prospects in Goa, Dr Wilfred de Souza, leader of the Goa Rajiv Congress, is perhaps trying
to settle his scores with his former Congress colleagues. Except Churchill Alemao, he
claims everyone else could be more close to Pawar than Mrs Gandhi.
Though he criticises Pawar and company for raising the issue which is
out of the bounds of the constitution, de Souza however does not want to associate neither
with the Congress nor the Pawar group. "Everything would depend on what kind of
combination emerges after elections", he says, while reiterating that he is a
hard-core Congressman and Congress is his natural ally.
Former union minister Ramakant Khalap, whose Maharashtrawadi Gomantak
Party was founded by the Maharashtra Congress to counter upper-caste domination in the
local Congress in early 60s, has fully supported Pawar for diverting attention of Indians
from ‘Hindutwa’ to ‘Bharatiyatva’.
Though he claims to have been keeping equidistant from the Congress,
the BJP as well as the Pawar group, he also does not hide his intention to join the third
front at later stage. "We cannot remain mute spectators for too long without taking a
firm stand", says the MGP leader.
Your Comments Please
