At an impressive rally of Indian National Congress
Party workers at the Campal Grounds Panaji this
evening Ms Sonia Gandhi MP Chairperson UPA and
Congress President in her 26 minutes address to Party
workers exhorted them to be in a state of preparedness
for forthcoming elections knowing full well that
elections are due after an year.
She was impressed by the gathering of workers and
briefed them on the salient features of the Common
Minimum Programme of the UPA Government while making
special mention of the Employment Guarantee scheme
which has statutory powers and not mere wishful
thinking . She also dwelt on the Right to Information
Act which now makes it a mandatory for the officials
to part with information. She asked her party workers
to understand the history of the Indian National
Congress especially the youth. She wanted partymen to
go and reach out to the masses and ensure that the
party programme reaches those whom it is intended for.
She cautioned Partymen not to make an promises which
they could not fulfill. It was better to ensure that
all the poll promises are kept.
She was all praise for the people of Goa for having
set aside the communal party that was trying to
polarise the State. Goa she said was a cauldron of
excellent communal harmony and this should be
maintained at all costs.
Earlier the Goa Pradesh Congress Committee President
Mr Ravi Sitaram Naik MLA Ponda. Chief Minister
Pratapsing Raoji Rane Ms Margaret Alva General
Secretary AICC spoke on the policies of the Government
to the workers.
The meeting ended at 6.25 p.m. Earlier Ms Gandhi
arrived an hour late in a special plane at 3.05 p.m at
the Dabolim airfield and left by helicopter to the
neighbouring district of Sindhurg for Malwan and
returned back later to attend the meeting at Panaji.
After the meet she is now attending a dinner hosted by
the CM Minister at his official residence at Altinho
Panaji. Ms Gandhi will stay put at Raj Bhavan Dona
Paula for the night and is expected to meet several
delegations tommorrow by 0930 at the Raj Bhavan Dona
Paula besides MLA's and Ministers . Though at the time
of writing the list was not yet finalised by Madam
Sonia Gandhi's Secretariat.
Later Ms Gandhi will attend the foundation stone
laying ceremony at 10.30 a.m of the prestigious
project to be christened "RAJIV GANDHI IT HABITAT "
at Dona Paula Goa, in the presence of Mr S C Jamir His
Excellency the Governor of Goa the CM the IT Minister
Mr Dayanand Narvekar the Minister for Town & Country
Planning Mr Atnasio Monserrate aand the Chief
Secretary, as per the invitation recieved by this
writer issued thus far by the Government of Goa.
Following the function she will leave Goa by noon and
fly to Nasik in Maharashtra.
SIDELIGHTS OF THE DAY:
**Ms Gandhi arrived an hour late instead of the
schedule 1415 hrs at the Naval base Dabolim;
**Invitation cards signed by Mr Ravi Sitaram Naik
President GPCC were issued to party workers to give
the meet a formal touch. Many cards were found
indiscriminately strewn at the venue.
**There was a huge piles of used and unused PET
bottles to satiate ones thirst -- all strewn at the
metal detectors placed at the entrance to the venue;
"Chak a Chak Clean Panaji" campaign notwithstanding
**There were 12,000 chairs placed at the venue which
gave the police estimates of the crowd at 14,000;
**Ms Gandhi was presented a brass lamp valued at Rs
25,000 cost of which was reportedly borne both by MLA
Mr Harish Zantye and the GPCC
**Ms Gandhi recalled another instance when her late
husband late Rajiv Gandhi was gifted one in the early
eighties;
**Ms Gandhi spoke in English and even the compere Adv
Uday L Bhembre ex Independent MLA and Congress General
Secretary had to speak intermittently in English and
Konknni apparently to keep Ms Gandhi abreast of the
happenings;
**Many among the workers and others felt that Ms
Gandhi should have spoken in Hindi though Ms Margaret
Alva a native of Karnataka spoke some Konknni to
interact with the crowd;
** several buses were placed at the disposal of
Congress MLA's in all the constituencies North Goa
constituencies brought the maximum workers especially
from Bicholim Pernem Ponda
**Food was provided to workers before they made it to
the venue. Most of those in attendance were women and
a large number of non goans which have spread in
almost all the 190 villages of Goa did constitute a
notable number.
**Mr Churchill Alemao MP Mr Shantaram L Naik were
present in the front row with other MLAs and
Ministers. The newly appointed Secretary looking
after Goa desk Mr Sidharth Patel was also present on
the dais. His appointement to an extent will clip the
wings of Ms Alva;
**Last minute hitch in seating arrangement found the
first seats occupied by different people;
**Ms Alva checked in at the Cidade de Goa
Congressmen had reason to cheer with the organisation
many were found congratulating Mr Altinho Gama as
well as Party chief Mr Ravi S Naik for the
arrangements
**Many in the crowd were wondering the purpose of meet
as if it were a dress rehearsal for the impending
elections
***Most of MLAs had their photographs alongside Ms
Gandhis posted at prominent spots one could see Mauvin
Godinhos and Digamber Kamats pasted on the buses
bringing the workers
***There was no traffic congestion and the entire
arrangements were good.
**Ms Gandhis repeated reference to her party running
the Government gave moments of concern from some as
this was a INC led coalition government of MGP NCP and
Independent and not a full fledged INC government.
from the Campal end
GODFREY J I GONSALVES
BORDA MARGAO GOA
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
9822158584
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