Panaji (Goa) [India], June 25 (ANI): Firing yet another salvo from his social media handles against the BJP-led Goa government, former Congress President Girish Chodankar on Saturday demanded the sacking of a 'Cabinet Minister' involved in land grabbing cases in Goa to pave way for free and fair investigations.

Panaji Feb 24 PTI Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Thursday welcomed the Bombay High Courts order dismissing two petitions seeking disqualification of 12 MLAs who switched over from their parties to the BJP saying democracy and constitutional mandate has prevailed over the smear campaign However Goa Pradesh Congress Committee president Girish Chodankar claimed this will encourage the BJP-led central governments politics to change the mandate of people with the use of money The Goa bench of the HC upheld state Assembly Speaker Rajesh Patnekars order of last year dismissing two petitions seeking disqualification of 12 MLAs who left their respective parties and joined the ruling BJP in 2019 Chodankar had filed one of the disqualification petitions against 10 party MLAs who switched over to the BJP in July 2019 The Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party had filed the other plea against its two MLAs who joined the BJP in the same year by splitting the regional outfit The HC on Thursday said the petitioners have not been able to make out a case for interference in the impugned orders passed by the Speaker The court also said that the order passed by the Speaker rejecting the disqualification petitions cannot be said to be militating against the object of introduction of the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution on the touchstone of political and constitutional morality Reacting to the judgement Sawant in a tweet said I welcome the decision of Hon High Court in dismissing the appeal filed by Congress and MGP against merger of 12 MLAs into the BJP Legislature Party Democracy and constitutional mandate has prevailed over the smear campaign However Chodankar said the order was unexpected and he will challenge it in the Supreme Court because the very existence of political parties is in question He claimed the order has given power to MLAs to change the public mandate The order will encourage politics of the Narendra Modi government at the Centrewith the use of money they can change the mandate of the people the Congress leader told reporters outside the court building The order is against the democratic values It is going to set a bad precedent not only for the Congress but all political parties in the country as after an election a few MLAs can come together and take a decision to join another party he claimed The very spirit of the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution has been destroyed by this order The purpose of the Tenth Schedule is to prevent defection and horse trading It is necessary that this order needs to be challenged he said Advocate Abhijit Gosawi representing Chodankar said the order is going to question the role of political parties in the democratic process It will happen that two-third of the members will take a certain decision and the political party will have no say in the process he added PTI RPS GK GK

Panaji Dec 20 PTI Goa minister Vishwajit Rane on Monday said state Congress chief Girish Chodankar must apologise in 48 hours after the latter accused him of being involved in irregularities connected to land allotment in special economic zones SEZs Refuting the allegations Rane who hold the industries portfolio in the state cabinet besides health said in a video message that he would file a defamation case against Chodankar if an apology was not received I have no role as far as SEZ is concerned You Chodankar need to withdraw the statement otherwise I will file defamation suit against you Rane said Rane went on to mock Chodankar and the Congress by claiming the party was getting wiped out in Goa and remarked that one day your Rahul Gandhi may join the TMC There has been a steady exodus of MLAs and leaders from the Congress to parties like the Trinamool Congress and Aam Aadmi Party ahead of Assembly polls scheduled for early 2022 Rane said the Congress was now left with just two MLAs in the Goa Assembly namely his father and former chief minister Pratapsingh Rane and Leader of Opposition Digambar Kamat The Congress is getting eradicated from Goa Even my father is not interested in the party Rane taunted Chodankar was not available for comment PTI RPS BNM BNM BNM

Panaji (Goa) [India], December 16 (ANI): State Urban Development Minister Milind Naik resigned from his post after Goa Congress President Girish Chodankar accused him of being involved in a "sex scandal".

Panaji (Goa) [India], December 9 (ANI): Continuing his tirade against the BJP government, the President of Goa Pradesh Congress Committee Girish Chodankar on Wednesday said that corrupt and insensitive BJP would compel youth of Goa to hit roads demanding reservation for 'Merit' in government jobs.

Panaji Nov 23 PTI Congress leaders in Goa on Tuesday scrambled to clear the air a day after state unit working president Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco visited the hotel where BJPs Goa election incharge Devendra Fadnavis has been staying Lourencos midnight visit to the hotel had triggered various speculations in political circles ahead of the Goa Assembly polls due in February next year Lourenco was spotted leaving the hotel on Monday midnight He had refused to divulge the purpose of his visit when asked by media persons waiting there On Tuesday Goa Pradesh Congress Committee president Girish Chodankar told reporters that he had asked Lourenco to visit the hotel to attend a scheduled meeting with a poll strategist Lourenco had not gone to meet any BJP leader A meeting was scheduled with an election strategist As I couldnt go I sent Lourenco there in midnight Chodankar told a press conference The Congress leader said one cannot screen the hotels for the presence of BJP leaders Meanwhile Lourenco told reporters that he was supposed to meet an election strategist in the hotel but moved out immediately when he came to know that BJP leaders were staying there When I saw BJP leaders were present there I thought of moving back immediately he said and added that he was loyal to Congress and will remain so PTI RPS NSK NSK

Panaji Nov 21 PTI The Congress would announce the first list of its candidates for the upcoming Goa polls by the end of this month state party president Girish Chodankar said on Sunday and added that a bulk of the nominees would be young and new Addressing a press conference here Chodankar iterated that MLAs who had defected and joined other parties will not be considered The process of short-listing candidates for the Goa polls will gather momentum as the AICC has announced a screening committee for Goa At least 70 to 80 per cent of Congress candidates will be young and new he said Elections are due in Goa in February next year Chodankar said block committees of the party will be taken into confidence while deciding the candidates More importance would be given to the candidates recommended by the block committees in respective constituencies he said The Congress leader refused to comment on a pre-poll alliance with like-minded parties In the 2017 Goa Assembly polls the Congress had won the highest 17 seats in the 40-member House restricting the BJP at 13 However the BJP allied with regional parties- GFP and MGP- to form a government under the late Manohar Parrikar Over years the Congress strength dwindled to four as many MLAs switched over to the ruling BJP Faleiro recently joined TMC PTI RPS NSK NSK

Panaji : BJP MP Tejasvi Surya claimed that Rahul Gandhi is roaming in Goa as if it was a trip to Thailand and was not taking in tourists due to the COVID-19 pandemic, state Congress chief Girish Chodankar on Sunday called Mr Surya’s thinking as “gutter level.” “In an attempt to make @DrPramodPSawant feel CM of Thailand, @BJP4India MP @Tejasvi_Surya with his gutter level thinking has compared Goa to #Thailand thereby insulting the women and people who have kept respect of the state high.

Panaji : BJP MP Tejasvi Surya claimed that Rahul Gandhi is roaming in Goa as if it was a trip to Thailand and was not taking in tourists due to the COVID-19 pandemic, state Congress chief Girish Chodankar on Sunday called Mr Surya’s thinking as “gutter level.” “In an attempt to make @DrPramodPSawant feel CM of Thailand, @BJP4India MP @Tejasvi_Surya with his gutter level thinking has compared Goa to #Thailand thereby insulting the women and people who have kept respect of the state high.

Panaji : BJP MP Tejasvi Surya claimed that Rahul Gandhi is roaming in Goa as if it was a trip to Thailand and was not taking in tourists due to the COVID-19 pandemic, state Congress chief Girish Chodankar on Sunday called Mr Surya’s thinking as “gutter level.” “In an attempt to make @DrPramodPSawant feel CM of Thailand, @BJP4India MP @Tejasvi_Surya with his gutter level thinking has compared Goa to #Thailand thereby insulting the women and people who have kept respect of the state high.