the goan I network
MARGAO
Congress used its aces from the armoury by harping on the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act, subversion of the 2017 mandate by the BJP et al as the party launched its poll campaign in minority Salcete on Sunday.
While Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) President Girish Chodankar harped on how the BJP used the minority MLAs to push the CAA in the Goa Legislative Assembly, Congress veteran and Navelim MLA Luizinho Faleiro was categorical in saying these are not ordinary Zilla Panchayat election, but there’s more to it when he said that Goa should neither vote for the Gujarat or Delhi model but the secular one.
Both the Congress president and the Navelim MLA hopped from Davorlim to Navelim to open the election offices of candidates K Murtuza (Davorlim) and Babush Santa Rita Coelho (Navelim), both seats falling in Faleiro’s Navelim constituency.
The duo made a fervent plea to the Congress workers to beware of the independent candidates in the election fray, asking them to remain alert as they were going around claiming support of Faleiro and the Congress party.
The GPCC Chief was clear in saying that since the BJP Lotus symbol cannot sell in Salcete, they are promoting certain independents, urging the workers to only rally behind the official party candidates in the fray.
“We will capture entire Salcete as all our candidates will emerge victorious. The BJP cannot sell in minority Salcete and hence the ruling party is trying to piggy ride on the independents,” he said.
Reminding the electorate how the circular issued by the Archbishop was attacked by the BJP leaders, Girish pointed out that the saffron party even went to the extent of using the minority MLAs, who had won on the secular vote, to table the congratulatory motion on CAA. “This is nothing but an attempt to divide the communities, families, state and the country,” he said.
The GPCC Chief told the people to take revenge on the BJP for subverting their mandate in 2017 election when they were voted to play the role of opposition.
In his address in support of Navelim candidate Babush Coelho, Luizinho Faleiro said people should not just look at the ZP election as any other ordinary one, but look at the larger picture affecting the country, right from the economic situation to the divisions in the society.
Referring to the CAA passed in the Parliament, Faleiro was categorical in saying the BJP agenda is to divide the people. “What has happened in Delhi is bad. People don’t want to even stay in the national capital. We have to understand this. It’s not just the question of Babush Coelho. We don’t want the Gujarat and Delhi models in Goa. Goans are happy with the secular model,” he said, while making a plea to the people of Navelim constituency to get the Congress elected in both Davorlim and Navelim.
The meeting was also addressed by Mahila Congress Chief Pratima Coutinho, Former Navelim ZP member Bishut Themudo, Zacarias and others.
