Panaji: The Opposition Congress on Wednesday protested against Goa Forward Party member Vijay Sardesai, referring to an All India Congress Committee official of South Indian origin as ‘lungi’.
Speaking during a discussion on a motion to congratulate newly-elected Rajya Sabha MP-designate Vinay Tendulkar, Minister for Town and Country Planning, Mr. Sardesai, admonished Congress legislators present in the House while taking potshots at AICC secretary in-charge of Goa, A. Chellakumar.
“One ex-PCC president had said on a local news channel that Congress observers wear a lungi in the morning and in the evening, they wear jeans and go to the disco. This is the problem with your party. These observers issue big statements, that when Manohar Parrikar was in the US, I was trying to overthrow the government.Those who come from outside, do not understand what to say. They say anything,” an agitated Mr. Sardesai told the Goa legislative assembly, launching a broadside against the Congress official.
Mr. Chellakumar, who hails from Tamil Nadu, has been associated with Congress Goa affairs for the past three years and wears thelungi.
The provocation for Mr. Sardesai came from local media reports, which quoted Mr. Chellakumar on Wednesday as saying that Mr. Sardesai had been in touch with the Congress when Mr. Parrikar was away in the US on a personal visit, over moves of overthrowing the BJP-led coalition government.
Leader of the Opposition Chandrakant Kavlekar and former Chief Minister Pratapsingh Rane objected to Mr. Sardesai’s tirade.
“He has no right to criticise the Congress high command during a congratulatory motion,” Mr. Kavlekar said, and urged the Speaker to intervene. Speaker Pramod Sawant restored normalcy in the House.
Mr. Sardesai, a former Goa Congress General Secretary who heads the GFP, a three-member regional outfit which is in post-election alliance with BJP, has denied the allegation that he was in touch with the Congress to topple the alliance government while Mr. Parrikar was away.
“This government will remain for a full term of five years; we have full faith in each other,” he said.
