the goan I network
MARGAO
Alliance partners in Maharashtra, the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party are all set to cross swords against each other in the ensuing Zilla Panchayat elections, with the NCP leadership asserting that the party will not have truck with the Congress in the ensuing poll unless the Congress leadership agrees for an alliance with the party in the 2022 Assembly election.
Both NCP president Jose Philip D’Souza and party lone MLA Churchill Alemao said the stand adopted by the local unit in respect of the Congress has been ratified by the NCP national leadership.
Churchill went a step further to accuse the Congress leadership for ignoring like-minded parties such as the NCP, but is going all out to do business with the MGP, a party with an agenda to merge Goa with Maharashtra.
Addressing the media here on Sunday, Jose Philip said the Congress should approach the NCP for an alliance only if the party is willing to enter into a tie up with the party in the 2022 Assembly election.
At one point, Churchill said the party has closed the doors for an alliance with the Congress, adding that the party will open the doors for discussions only if the main Opposition party is ready to discuss the alliance for the 2022 election.
Both Jose Philip and Churchill told the media that the Congress had taken the NCP for granted for too long, with Jose Philip recalling how the Congress had cold shouldered party’s offer for alliance in the 2017 election.
When the media sought to know whether the NCP has closed doors for any tie-up with the Congress in the coming polls, a visibly agitated Churchill thundered “yes, we have closed the doors for the Congress.”
“If the Congress wants a tie-up with us, let Congress leaders announce that they will leave certain seats for the NCP in the Assembly election”.
Churchill appeared disturbed over the Congress decision to field Royla Fernandes for the Benaulim ZP seat. “Royla was AAP candidate in the 2017 Assembly election, but Benaulikars had voted with a huge margin. Now, the Congress has decided to field Royla for the Benaulim seat. The same Congress had in the past denied the South Goa ticket to daughter Valanka on flimsy grounds, but has adopted double standards when it comes to fielding candidates on the party ticket,” Churchill said.
Accusing the local Congress leadership for never standing by him in politics, Churchill said he has survived in politics because of the love and support from the people of Benaulim and the Almighty.
Jose Philip said the party would field candidates only in certain seats where the party has a chance to win. “A number of candidates have approached the party for tickets, but we will go by the winnability factor,” Jose Philip said.
Meanwhile, four-time Colva Zilla member and former two-time South Goa Zilla Chairperson Nelly Rodrigues said she has joined the NCP to strengthen the secular forces. Nelly said she would work hard for the success of the NCP candidates in the ensuing ZP polls.
