Rahul effect: Goa Congress to sack members with criminal records

Panaji: “Inspired” by Rahul Gandhi’s reaction to the government ordinance on tainted law-makers, the Congress in Goa will soon start the process of weeding out party members with a criminal background, a top party official said. Speaking to IANS, state Congress president Subhash Shirodkar said the party would also implement the “one man, one post” policy across party ranks to ensure that excessive power was not vested with one individual. “We will follow what Rahul Gandhi says. We are completely with him. Party men with criminal background will now be screened and weeded out,” Shirodkar told IANS after a meeting of the Goa Pradesh Congress Committee at its state headquarters here Monday evening. [caption id=“attachment_1144987” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. Agencies.[/caption] “The process of weeding out will begin soon,” Shirodkar added. Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi had, in a dramatic fashion, called as “utter nonsense” the controversial ordinance seeking to protect tainted lawmakers from disqualification, passed by the union cabinet. Gandhi’s outburst was followed by President Pranab Mukherjee’s decision to seek clarifications from the union government on that ordinance, virtually burying it. Shirodkar also said that according to the directives from the All India Congress Committee (AICC), all party members holding more than one position would be asked to drop one responsibility. “It is an AICC directive to all states,” he said. IANS