PANAJI: Even as the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government in the state headed by Mr Manohar Parrikar completed 100 days in office, the self-imposed moratorium by the Congress on criticising the ruling party and pointing out its "mistakes" in governance also ended on Saturday.

The Congressmen in the state are hoping that its leadership would at least "act" now against the ruling side and take it head-on to set the records straight. They (Congress workers) feel that BJP was trying to project Congress as a party that did nothing good in the interest of the state and its leaders were devilish who excelled only in corruption.

For the Congress leaders, the 100 day "wait" in taking on the BJP government has been too long and they are hoping that the party leaders would at least now be doing their "professional" job as the opposition party in the state, so that they could "feel" that the party existed in Goa.

Besides, the Congress leaders also hope that their high command appoints the new president of the Goa Pradesh Congress Committee, in place of Mr Subhash Shirodkar, who resigned after the rout of the party in the general elections to the state assembly so that the new president could begin the work of re-building the party for future challenges.

The delay in naming a new president is being seen as "indecisiveness" on the part of the high command on reviving the party and many see the postponement in appointing the new president as lack of confidence in the state Congress leaders. "It is not just about appointing a new president but also about sending signals to the loyal Congressmen that their leadership cared for them," said a senior Congress leader, who went on to add that the Congress workers were in wilderness while their leaders who won the elections or lost them have been "enjoying."

The silence of the party leadership, especially as regards to employment being "denied" to the candidates "selected" (during the previous regime) by the present day government has surprised many with many Congress workers wondering whether its leaders have been "silenced" by the government by quietly initiating action against the wrongs committed by them.

Many others feel that the 100-day moratorium was justifiable to some extent but want their leaders to now onwards take the BJP-led government to task and also tell the people that there was nothing new in the decision on medium of instruction taken by the present government and that Congress should share the credit for it.

Some in the Congress feel that the general elections to the Lok Sabha could be held earlier than the schedule, given the turmoil that was seen at the Centre and that the party should prepare itself for the elections right now and not wait for the last moment. "The Congress does not have charismatic leaders who could wean the voters to their side and it would be in the interest of the party that preparations for the Lok Sabha elections were made right now," said a senior office bearer.