Mapusa: A rally organized by the Goa Youth Congress at Mapusa has caused controversy owing to the alleged participation of non-Goans and senior citizens who seemed clueless about the purpose of the rally. The “Mashal Yatra” organized to come in support to its expelled MP Rahul Gandhi came under scrutiny after videos of media questioning the participants went viral on social media.
The videos showed participants claiming to have come all the way from Khareband in Margao and other places, with some admitting that they were not aware of the reason for the rally. It has been reported that the crowd mobilization was done by a BJP office bearer from South Goa, who happens to be a close aide of former Congress President Girish Chodankar.
The presence of non-Goans and senior citizens in the rally has raised eyebrows, with critics pointing out that the organizers failed to mobilize local support. Questions were also raised about the President of Youth Congress Joel Andrade’s failure to take up local issues, which led to National Youth Congress President B Srinivas being put on the spot and trying to cover up for the Goa Youth Congress President.
Many of the participants in the rally were not from Goa, and were senior citizens who had no idea why they were called. The presence of Chodankar at the rally with a few other former functionaries and defeated candidates of Congress in the last elections added fuel to the controversy.
Chodankar was grilled by the media with difficult questions about his absence from routine party activities, holding press conferences outside Congress offices, and his campaign to destabilize new Congress President Amit Patkar. The controversy surrounding the Mashal Yatra has once again brought to light the lack of proper organization and leadership in the Congress party in Goa, and the need for urgent action to address these issues.
