Team Goemkarponn
Panaji: Chairman of the OBC Cell of the Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC), Shri Nitin Chopdekar, on Sunday launched a sharp attack on Revolutionary Goans Party (RGP) leader Manoj Parab, accusing him of misleading the people of Goa and acting as a proxy of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
In a press note issued on the occasion of the 140th Foundation Day of the Indian National Congress, Chopdekar said Manoj Parab had no moral authority to comment on the Congress Party and alleged that his repeated statements were aimed at creating false narratives and manufactured controversies.
Describing the Congress as the “grand old party of India,” Chopdekar highlighted its role in the freedom struggle, nation-building and safeguarding democracy, stating that the party has consistently stood with marginalised communities, including OBCs, SCs, STs and minorities, for over 140 years.
He alleged that the Revolutionary Goans Party functions as the BJP’s “B-Team” in Goa and was created with the objective of splitting secular and Bahujan votes to benefit the ruling party. According to him, this strategy has been evident in several elections.
Referring to the Anjuna Zilla Panchayat election, Chopdekar claimed that Bahujan Samaj leader Yogesh Govekar was defeated due to deliberate vote-splitting by Manoj Parab, which, he alleged, directly helped the BJP. He termed the episode as “planned political sabotage.”
Chopdekar further alleged that Manoj Parab and his party lacked ideology and grassroots struggle and functioned mainly as vote-cutters. He also pointed to Parab’s frequent visits to Mumbai, alleging meetings with Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, as evidence of political alignment with the BJP-led alliance.
“The Congress leadership remains rooted in Goa and accountable to Goans, while Manoj Parab appears to be taking instructions from BJP leaders,” Chopdekar claimed.
Reiterating the Congress Party’s opposition to the BJP, Chopdekar said the party would continue to fight what he described as corruption, authoritarianism, destruction of livelihoods and marginalisation of OBC and Bahujan communities in Goa.
He warned that the people of Goa would not forget those who, according to him, betrayed the public mandate for political convenience, and asserted that the Congress would continue to expose the BJP and its alleged proxies in the State.
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