Inspired by ‘young’, old hand to call it day

NEWDELHI: Inspired by Rahul Gandhi’s speech at the party’s 84th plenary session on Sunday, Goa Congress president Shantaram Naik has decided to resign from the post to make way for a “young and committed” leader for the organisation in the state.

Naik, who will turn 72 on April 12, had replaced Luizinho Falerio as the Goa Congress chief on July 7 last year. “I have decided to resign. I am inspired by Rahul Gandhi’s speech. In fact, I was so inspired that I wanted to resign then and there, but thought it will not be proper to do so in such an atmosphere,” Naik said.

In his concluding speech on Sunday, Gandhi vowed to break the wall between senior leaders and workers to build a new Congress with “talented youngsters’.

“Rahul Gandhi showed the empty stage and wished to fill that stage with younger generation. That inspired me,” Naik said, adding that he will write to Gandhi on Wednesday.

Though Naik has become the first senior leader ready to put in his papers after the plenary session, there was speculation that the party’s Gujarat chief, Bharatsinh Solanki, would also resign.

However, a senior Congress leader from Gujarat familiar with the developments said Solanki had offered his resignation immediately after the defeat in the assembly elections last year.

The leader said Solanki’s stance was in keeping with Congress’ tradition where a state unit chief offers to quit in the wake of party’s defeat in assembly polls.

› Rahul Gandhi showed the empty stage and wished to fill that stage with younger generation. That inspired me. I have decided to resign. SHANTARAM NAIK, Goa president