Fresh row erupts in Goa Cong on defectors’ return

PANAJI, SEPT 1: After suffering two splits in a year, a fresh row has erupted in the Congress in Goa over the issue of taking back defecto...

PANAJI, SEPT 1: After suffering two splits in a year, a fresh row has erupted in the Congress in Goa over the issue of taking back defectors.Differences have cropped up among the party’s rank and file with a section feeling that it was high-time the party took a firm stand against the “Aya Ram Gaya Ram” culture and sat in the Opposition for the remaining term of the state Assembly, while others argue that in a democracy doors should always remain open for all those who want to return to the parent organisation.

However, all the senior Congress leaders in this state publicly maintain that the issue of re-admission of any legislator, who had deserted the organisation, was a matter to be decided by the high command.After a meeting of the Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) on last Wednesday, state party chief Luizinho Falerio said the committee was unanimous on not re-admitting defectors and he would convey the feelings of partymen to the high-command.

However, former GPCC president Shantaram Naik, former Rajya Sabha member John Fernandes and a few other PCC members came out in the open saying no such resolutions was passed at the meeting and it was improper on the state party president’s part to dub a passing reference made by a member as the unanimous view of the committee.

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Fernandes told reporters here last evening that GPCC did not adopt any resolution either on the issue of re-admission of the defectors nor regarding the continuation of Falerio as the president of the Goa Pradesh Congress. “Falerio has exceeded his brief by claiming that such a resolution had been passed at the meeting,” he said adding that it is up to the Congress high command to take decision on both the matters.

He said that he and several other partymen had already briefed All India Congress Committee general secretary Prabha Rao, who is incharge of party affairs in Goa, Fernandes said he felt that the Congress should explore the possibilities of forming a “secular government”.

Meanwhile, GPCC president Luizinho Falerio said the issue of not re-admitting defectors into the party fold was “discussed at length” by the committee, soon after discussion on the organisational elections. He said Manohar Azganokar, MLA, raised the matter and none of the members objected to it which amounted to acceptance by all present at the meeting.Azgaonkar had argued that defectors should not be re-admitted as such a practice would encourage party workers to breach party discipline time and again. Those who desert the party for their personal gains attempt to return to the party on the eve of elections and this was causing resentment among the genuine party workers, he said adding that a firm decision has to be taken to stop such practice.

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