NCP crowd was "paid": Churchill
PTI, PANAJI | 03 February 2010 20:28 IST
NCP,
Congress' PWD minister Churchill Alemao has alleged that Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar addressed a gathering of not even thousand people at the NCP convention, since people gathered there were "paid" to attend it.
The crowd at the Benaulim convention speaks volumes about party's popularity in the
state, he added.
"I got a shock when I heard that there were not even thousand people to hear NCP leader Sharad Pawar. When meetings
are convened, usually people come to hear the leader," commented Alemao while talking to PTI today.
He alleged that the people were "paid" to attend the convention and
hence went back after they got their money, without waiting for the
main leaders to speak.
Alemao's statement came close on the heels of Goa Pradesh youth
congress committee sacking its district president Tanvir Khatib for
helping NCP to organise the crowd for state level convention in South Goa
on 30 January.
The developments after NCP's state level convention has exposed the
fissures in the Congress-NCP coalition, which rules Goa.
Reacting to the NCP's statement to grow in the state, Alemao said: "NCP can
only dream of forming a government in the state. It will never be fulfilled."
The state level convention which was attended by around ten thousand
people at Betalbhatim village in South Goa had cautioned the Congress not
to take NCP's support for granted in the state.
NCP leader Praful Patel had said that the Congress should not treat
NCP like a "little boy".
It is the common man's feeling that the crowds are gathered by all the political parties for their meetings and conventions by paying them remuneration, free transport, free liquor etc. The worst part however is that all this money spent is gathered by them through dubious means which may include percentage and commissions from the contractors, auction of jobs, promotions,transfers, licences, permits, land conversions, appointment of consultants,etc.etc...This is how the money from the public exchequer goes in the hands of the corrupt and some portion of that again goes in the hands of the public! It is high time that the agencies like the Income-tax Dept., Election Commission and the Vigilance Dept. should be made truely autonomous so that they can fearlessly pin down the culprits!