Leaders may come and go, but Congress grows stronger: Khuntia

Panaji, May 10 (UNI) AICC secretary Ramachandra Khuntia today said the exit of Churchil Alemao from the Congress will not make any difference to the party.

''Leaders may come and go, but the Congress does not yield to threats. Instead, the party grows stronger,'' he said at a press conference here.

''The party will do much better in Goa in his absence,'' he said when asked whether Churchil's exit would impact the Congress' performance in the June 2 assembly elections.

Churchil has no stature as that of the Kamaraj and Nijalingappa syndicate of the 1960's. Their exit had further strengthened the Congress, he said.

Asked whether this was a signal to those who continued to threaten to quit the party if not given tickets, he said ''one may assume so''.

It might be recalled that former controversial minister Atanasio (Babush) Monserrte had threatened to quit the party if he was not renominated to contest from Taleigao and his wife Jennifer from adjoining Santa Cruz against the incumbent and deputy speaker Ms Victoria Fernandes.

In fact, the couple had opened the election office in St Cruz and Ms Jennifer resigned the post of North Goa Zilla Parishad chairperson in the hope of getting a party ticket.

Mr Khuntia made it clear that it was for the party High Command to decide whether to give more than one ticket to one family as the ''policy and methodology of issuing tickets rests with the Central ledership and the party is not bothered if one leaves or comes.'' Interestingly, the Central leadership has not decided whether to offer a party ticket to Chief Minister Pratapsinh Rane (Poriem) and his son Viswajit Rane (Valpoi) as the policy rested with the High Command.

Viswajit, who is one of the general secretaries of the GPCC, had also threatened to resign and contest as an independent if not offered the ticket though he entered politics just a year ago.

''On these critical and disputed issues, Sonia Gandhi is our Supreme Court and her decision is final,'' Mr Kunthia quipped.

Asked why Delhi is dilly-dallying to release of final list of candidates as it has a decisive impact on the elections, he exuded confidence that the Congress was poised to grab 30 plus seats and form the government.

The Central leadership, he said, was yet to announce the constituencies it would leave for its NCP coalition partner.

Meanwhile, former minister Ms Sangeeta Parab resented the party leadership for not issuing a single ticket to women who had been in the forefront of all struggles and said she would decide contesting on her own if neglected.

UNI