A video statement by Fr Eremito has added to the debate around reports that a political outfit named the Goa Congress Party has applied for registration.
Fr Eremito said the development appeared to reflect frustration among people unhappy with the reported appointment of Girish Chodankar as president of the Goa Pradesh Congress Committee. He said the issue was not the replacement of former president Amit Patkar, but the choice of Chodankar to lead the state unit.
“The problem is the appointment of Girish Chodankar as Congress President in Goa,” Fr Eremito said. “Replacement of Amit Patkar is not the problem.”
He said party workers would have accepted a leadership change if the Congress high command believed one was necessary. However, he questioned the reasons behind Chodankar’s return to the post.
Fr Eremito referred to allegations made by Jyothi Mani, a Congress MP from Tamil Nadu, concerning Chodankar’s earlier responsibilities involving the Tamil Nadu and Puducherry Congress units. He said Mani had raised concerns about the allocation of election tickets during the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.
He also cited the Congress’ electoral performance in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry during that period. These claims and assessments were made by Fr Eremito in the video and have not been independently verified by HiveJaw.
Fr Eremito also referred to the 2022 Goa Assembly election, when Chodankar was leading the Goa Congress. “When Girish Chodankar was the Congress President in Goa, he resigned after results, owning responsibility for the defeat of the Congress,” he said.
He further alleged that questions had been raised at the time over the selection of candidates. Fr Eremito also made allegations concerning Chodankar’s past conduct. HiveJaw has not independently verified those allegations.
“The problem is not with the new party,” Fr Eremito said. “The responsibility lies with the Congress authorities in Delhi.”
He said people considering or forming a new political party were acting out of disappointment with the Congress leadership’s decision. “The people who are going to form this party are good people,” he said. “They are not with the BJP. They are totally against the BJP.”
Fr Eremito said the Congress high command should take responsibility for the situation in Goa. “This is all done out of frustration,” he said. “And the Congress high authorities are responsible.”
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