The saptah posters at the Chicalimjunction say it all.
While a small banner has the Vasco MLACarlos Almeida in a smart black suit wishing Vascokars, a much larger bannerhas former Revenue Minister Jose Philip D’Souza sporting a colourful pheta beaming over the smaller banner.
Political opposition is back in Vascoand Mormugao constituencies.
Former Revenue Minister Jose PhilipD’Souza and youth Congress chief Sankalp Amonkar may have crossed swords over theCanacona Relief scam months ago, but they have now found a common cause to mendfences and go hand in hand.
Both may have lost the race in therecent assembly elections but are not completely out of business. Politicalthat is. After months of introspection, both have found their feet to take onthe current MLAs in their respective constituencies.
D’Souza and Amonkar are back in town,not with freebies, like they lavishly poured during the election but with astrong people centric agenda (supposedly) to keep their rivals, Power MinisterMilind Naik and Carlos Almeida on their toes.
“I am a politician by profession. I willnot give up politics which helps me to serve the people,” an energetic lookingformer Revenue Minister Jose Philip D’ Souza said. “News was spread that I wasnot seen in Vasco and avoiding people after my defeat,” he added.
The young Turk from Mormugao Sankalp Amonkarmade his presence felt when he led a morchato the controversial ‘Ganesh Benzo Plast’ tanks warning the company to stopwork on storing of LPG gas.
“Mormugao has witnessed worst powercrisis in the last couple of months with constant power shut down,” Amonkarrued.
“I will pay an active role as an oppositionto ensure people of Mormugao get their due from the present government,”Amonkar said.
Soon after he took over as powerminister, Milind Naik had to face the wrath of Amonkar and D’Souza’ssupporters, who rushed to his house questioning him on constant powerfluctuations plaguing Mormugao.
On the other hand Carlos Almeida isfinding it tough to counter allegations, spread by his arch rival and formerrevenue minister, that he has been avoiding his voters.
“D’ Souza and his supporters have beenspreading rumors that I am not attending to people’s grievances,” Almeida said.
“I am not spreading any rumours. In therecent BJP membership drive, Almeida has been threatening Muslim supporters thathe will close down their fruit handcart businesses if they don’t become BJPmembers. That is what is hurting him,” D’ Souza countered.
Clearly no one has a free political runin Vasco. If the fittest won the elections, the greater fitness test is tomanage their term as MLA’s smoothly.
