GPCC seeks sacking of MGP's Cooperation minister Ramakrishna

Panaji, Feb 10 (UNI) Executive meeting of the Goa Pradesh Congress Committee today sought the sacking of Cooperation Minister Ramakrishna Dhavlikar from the Cabinet for his ''unsavoury'' remarks against the Congress while in the coalition government.

The meeting, presided over by the Party President Ravi Naik at the Congress House, said either the Minister should resign or he be removed from the Cabinet for his ''irresponsible'' statement in which the minister claimed ''the BJP was better than the Congress'' soon after Dhavlikar was stripped of his PWD portfolio last week.

Following the directive of the party High Command on the strength of the demand of the workers, Chief Minister Pratapsingh Rane had stripped the Minister of his PWD portfolio as the lone MGP member in the cabinet had been abusing the portfolio against the interests of the Congress.

The executive had also favoured severing of its relations with the MGP for the coming elections to the state legislative assembly in May as the party had already decided to field its candidates in several constituencies which were said to be stronghold of the Congress.

The committee, however, did not discuss about continuance or otherwise of its alliance with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) which also unilaterally announced the names of its candidates in different constituencies, Mr Naik said.

The decision, he said, would be conveyed to the party High Command and be placed in the party's high-level coordination committee to be chaired by AICC General Secretary Margret Alva on February 12 here.

The committee has also urged the people not to politicise the conduct of the annual Carnival on February 17 or Shignotsav later but authorise the traditional committees to organise the event meant for attracting tourists.

The party has also decided to launch membership drive at all the party conventions beginning from February 14 till April end so that the memership reaches at least 5 lakh as against three lakh now.

The conventions are part of gearing the party for the coming assembly elections from the grassroots level, Mr Naik said.

He had further authorised its party MPs to plead with the Centre for reserving some assembly constituencies for the scheduled tribes in the coming elections in accordance with the ST population in the state.

Regarding South Goa's MP Churchil Alemao who had recently threatened to quit the party on receiving a showcause notice for his anti-party activities, Mr Naik said the former continued to be the member as of now.

UNI