Panaji (Goa): Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) President Girish Chodankar on Friday resigned from the post of Vice President of Goa Olympic Association (GOA).
He submitted his resignation in response to the demand made by Goa Sports Minister Manohar Ajgaonkar.
- "In response to the public appeal made by Sports Minister of Goa Manohar Ajgaonkar, I hereby tender my resignation from the post of Vice President of Goa Olympic Association with immediate effect," Chodankar wrote in his resignation letter addressed to the association's President.
- "The decision is taken in view of the demand made by the Sports Minister that my resignation will help the Government to smoothly organise the National Games in 2020. It is pertinent that the Sports Department headed by Manohar Ajgaonkar has failed time and again in organising the National Games for last so many years," he added.
- "I have always lived with a sporting spirit and I hope that it is the bounden duty of every citizen to show sportsmanship especially in matters pertaining to the pride of the state. Failure to organise National Games in time thus repeatedly begging with Indian Olympic Association for postponement has brought bad repute to the State of Goa," resignation letter also said.
- "In view of the above, I hope that Sports Minister Shri Manohar Ajgaonkar too will resign as Sports Minister and liberate Department of Sports and Youth Affairs from Irregularities, Gross Corruption and Nepotism," the letter added.
Chodankar urged GOA to look into the gross corruption in expenditure on the infrastructure of National Games and the appointment of the brother of the Sports Minister to Sports Authority of Goa, amongst others, which has deprived an opportunity for a true sportsman of being in that position.