Team Goemkarponn
MARGAO, NOVEMBER 6: The Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) on Friday staged a symbolic protest in Margao by burning effigies of eight former Congress legislators who later joined the BJP, accusing them of betraying the mandate of voters.
The protest, held on the eve of Diwali, saw Congress workers label the eight leaders as “Defectasurs”, drawing a parallel with the traditional burning of Narkasur effigies to symbolise the triumph of good over evil.
The effigies represented Digambar Kamat, Michael Lobo, Delaila Lobo, Sankalp Amonkar, Aleixo Sequeira, Kedar Naik, Rudolf Fernandes and Rajesh Faldesai. The Congress alleged that these legislators had secured election victories on Congress tickets before switching to the BJP for political and personal gains.
Addressing the gathering, GPCC President Girish Chodankar said the protest was intended to highlight what he described as a betrayal of the electorate.
“Those who sought votes on the Congress symbol and subsequently abandoned the party have betrayed the trust of the people. Development cannot be used to justify political dishonesty. The people’s mandate is not the private property of an elected representative to be traded for personal gains,” Chodankar said.
He added that the leaders would have to face public scrutiny and that the Congress would continue raising the issue of political defections.
GPCC Working President M.K. Shaikh alleged that the eight legislators had switched political allegiance after securing the confidence of voters on Congress tickets. He said the electorate would hold them accountable at the appropriate time.
GPCC Minority Department Chairman Nazir Khan described the effigy-burning as a symbolic protest against political opportunism and said elected representatives must remain accountable to the people who voted for them.
Congress leader Chirag Naik said political defections undermine public confidence in democratic institutions and called for greater accountability among elected representatives.
GPCC Media Department Chairman Amarnath Panjikar said the protest was a reminder that voters’ mandates must be respected. He alleged that the legislators had abandoned the political platform on which they were elected in pursuit of power and political benefits.
The protest was held under the leadership of Chodankar, with the participation of Working Presidents M.K. Shaikh and Sunil Kawthankar.
Several senior party functionaries, including Vice Presidents Subhash Faldesai and Vithoba Desai, General Secretary Pradip Naik, Mahila Congress President Pratiksha Khalap, Youth Congress President Archit Naik and other district and departmental office-bearers, were present.
The Congress leaders reiterated that the party would continue its campaign against political defections and seek accountability from those it accused of abandoning the voters’ mandate.
