MARGAO
Unfazed by the withdrawal of permission to hold the Goy Rakhonn Yatra along NH66 through Quepem and Cuncolim, and despite the deployment of a large police force, thousands of people joined the march from the temple village of Fatorpa to the historic village of Cuncolim on Sunday to express solidarity with the Congress.
The rally culminated in a massive public meeting near the Cuncolim KTC bus stand, where Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and other Congress leaders addressed party workers.
After withdrawing the permission granted for the yatra from Fatorpa to Cuncolim via NH66 on Saturday, the district authorities issued fresh permission on Sunday morning, allowing the yatra to commence on the Cuncolim IDC road and culminate at the KTC bus stand.
Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao, Quepem MLA Altone D’Costa and other Congress leaders stuck to their planned route, taking out the rally from Fatorpa in Quepem constituency.
Congress workers and supporters joined the yatra in large numbers at Fatorpa, even as the district administration mobilised a large police force at Balli as a precautionary measure.
To avoid any untoward incident, Congress workers boarded buses at Balli and proceeded to Cuncolim, where they were joined by thousands of party workers and supporters.
Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy joined the yatra on the Cuncolim IDC road. The rally made a brief halt near the Chieftains’ Memorial, where Reddy, GPCC chief Girish Chodankar, Yuri Alemao and other Congress leaders paid homage to the 16 chieftains for their bravery in resisting Portuguese colonial rule.
Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao alleged that the BJP government had deployed 300 police personnel to scuttle the yatra, but failed in its attempt. “It is surprising that while we see no police around to crack a whip against criminals, drug peddlers and rapists, the police made a huge presence to scuttle the Congress yatra,” he said.
He alleged that the district administration had been pressured to revoke permission for the yatra along NH66 because the government had become jittery over its growing popularity.
Congress leader Amit Palekar congratulated party workers and supporters for turning up in thousands despite attempts to scuttle the rally. “What we have seen at the rallies in Balli and Cuncolim is a tsunami of Congress workers and supporters. This only goes to show that the government is using the police machinery to scuttle the yatra,” Palekar said.
Reddy tells Goa Cong: Put people before leaders
Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy received a rousing welcome at the public meeting at Cuncolim. (Right) Paying homage to the Chieftains of Cuncolim at the memorial.
MARGAO: Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy on Sunday advised Goa Congress leaders to prepare for the 2027 electoral battle not for their own sake, but for the people of Goa, who are looking forward to a Congress government to stop the sale of land and rid the State of drug trafficking and unemployment.
Addressing a massive meeting at the culmination of the Goy Rakhonn Yatra in Cuncolim, Reddy said the people of Goa were ready to vote the Congress to power in 2027, and it was for the party leadership to tap this sentiment to win the upcoming elections.
“It is very important for the Congress to form the government in Goa in 2027 for the people of Goa. I do not know whether the Goa Congress leaders want the party to form the government in the State, but it is important to form a Congress government to protect the people of Goa from unemployment, drugs and the sale of land,” he said.
He expressed confidence that the Congress would return to power at the Centre under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi once the party formed the government in Goa.
Referring to GPCC chief Girish Chodankar and Leader of the Opposition Yuri Alemao, Reddy said, “The Congress party is for the people of Goa and not for the leaders. People are ready to vote for the Congress. You are lucky to have Manikrao Thakare as Goa observer to prepare for the upcoming elections.”
Referring to defections, Reddy said the Congress had also faced defections in his state before he approached the people in 2023, seeking a simple majority to form the government and put an end to defections.
“A similar situation is prevailing in Goa, where the party has faced defections twice, in 2017 and 2022. We have to go to the people and ask for a clear mandate to stop the menace of defections,” he added.
Warning that the BJP would resort to various strategies, including dividing people along caste and religious lines, to win elections, Reddy urged Goans to beware of what he described as the BJP’s game plan to float new and smaller parties to divide the non-BJP vote.
“The BJP is supporting new and smaller parties to split the votes. If the people of Goa vote for smaller parties and Independents, the vote will go to the BJP. If you want to defeat the BJP, the vote should go to the Congress,” he said.
Claiming that the BJP’s frontal organisations, including the IT, ED and CBI, were no longer helping the party secure electoral victories, Reddy said the BJP had now come up with a new weapon to win elections in the form of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The meeting was also addressed by Goa desk observer Manikrao Thakare, Leader of the Opposition Yuri Alemao, Quepem MLA Altone D’Costa and others.
Telangana CM questions Goa govt’s failure to crack down on drugs
MARGAO: Saying that Telangana police had in the past lifted drug traffickers from Goa, including Nigerians, Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy on Sunday demanded to know why the BJP government is not implementing in Goa Nasha Mukt Bharat slogan given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.
The Telangana Chief Minister said he had sent police teams to Goa to lift the drug traffickers after it was realized that Goa was the source of drugs coming into his state.
“Goa has become a drugs hub because of the failure of the government to clamp down on drugs in the state. After I formed the government in Telangana, I formed a Eagle Force, an elite group of officers, whose job was to eradicate drugs in my state. I have done the job meticulously. When I came to know that the source of drugs coming into Telangana was Goa, I had sent police team to organise a secret operation in Goa, wherein we had lifted the drug lords, including Nigerians”, he said, demanding to know why the Goa government has failed to crack a whip against drugs.
“When the ED, IT, RAW and CBI are all with the BJP government, how come the government in Goa has failed to stop drugs. People of Goa need to understand what is happening in Goa”, he added.
