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Without taking names, he accused certain senior Congress leaders for opposing his nomination as they had many a personal scores to settle with him, including issues when he was the Power Minister, regarding power bills and other things.
He further said the Pradesh Election Committee has done an excellent job by ensuring that all members of the panel, who wanted to stand for election, have secured their nomination, saying the Congress party is definitely moving ahead.
“I found it hard to believe and I am not willing to believe that the Church will give a letter or oppose my nomination. This could be also fabricated by some senior GPCC leaders. When I say that the AICC members told me this, they are my well-wishers and I do not think they will fabricate the statement. The exact words they said were the Church is objecting tooth and nail my nomination,” he asserted.
“My wife and children are obliged to the so called Roman Catholic Church authorities, who have in one voice opposed my nomination. It is hard to believe that the Church has opposed my nomination when I had observed that the Church in Goa only issues guidelines to the laity how we should vote. The guidelines never told us to support this or that party.”
Addressing the media a day after the Congress Central Election Committee cleared the nomination for the Nuvem seat to Wilfred D’Sa, Aleixo said he has decided to retire from politics. “I wish Wilfred the very best. I would also like to congratulate senior Congress leaders, who opposed my nomination,” he said, saying he would vote for the Congress in the election. “First the people sent me home in the 2012 election and now the party has denied me the ticket. I feel my services are no more required,” he added.
Asked to elaborate on the power issues that had antagonised certain Congress leaders, Aleixo said, “I had issues with various people in respect of under billing and other billing discrepancies, which were rectified of senior Cong leaders.”
Aleixo had first made it to the Assembly in the year 1994 by defeating UGDP’s Radharao Gracias. He he won the 1999 election unopposed and was one of the Congress MLAs who broke away to bring down the Luizinho Faleiro government. He continued his winning streak in 2002 and 2007 and rose to become the State’s Power Minister before biting the dust in the 2012 election.
