Panaji (Goa): Goa Pradesh Congress Committee’s official newsletter has blamed AICC General Secretary Digvijaya Singh for then wrongly guiding the just-elected legislators due to which the party could not form the government in the coastal state.
Narratting the sequence of March 12 noon, a day before BJP staked its claim to form the government, Congress party’s local official newsletter has said that “Singh adviced that the Congress should not submit the letter staking its claim to form the government.”
“As the Congress MLAs met and unanimously resolved to stake claim with the Governor, Singh decided that since it was the single largest party, the Congress need not submit the letter staking its claim, but should instead wait for the Governor’s invite,” reads the newsletter by Goa Pradesh Congress Committee which was released to the media today.
As the Congress party waited expectantly to hear from the Governor as per Digvijaya Singh’s advice, four mentors of Goa Forward Party were engaged in discussions with the Congress party in regard to offering their support, the newsletter states.
“Ironically, just as the Congress came into an agreement with Goa Forward’s mentors on the modalities of extending support, the Goa Forward party mentors expressed intense shock and embarrassment to learn that at that very moment, GFP and MGP MLAs were already at the door of the Governor to extend support ot the BJP government,” it reads.
“Neither did Governor call as Digvijaya Singh had insisted she would, nor was the promise of Goa Forward party honoured,” the newsletter adds.
BJP which won on only 14 seats had formed the government in Goa in March with the support of GFP, MGP and Independents.
While leaving Goa, Digvijaya Singh articulated his distress at the untrustworthiness of Goan politicians and echoed what the Goa Congress and its blocks had been saying all along, admitting that a Gathbandhan (alliance) should not have been considered at all, it states.
The newsletter which has drawn the lesson from the failure has said that AICC and Goa Pradesh Congress Committee must work with greater synergy and co-ordination in future.
Team TNV
