MARGAO
Saying that political parties, including the Congress, are in touch with him, former Chief Minister and Rajya Sabha MP Luizinho Faleiro on Wednesday said he has taken “sanyas” (retirement) from electoral politics since he quit all political posts and resigned as Member of Parliament.
Saying that he does not believe in politics on family lines, Faleiro, however, said it is up to his son Ravi to take a call on whether to throw his hat in the electoral ring in the upcoming polls.
Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the programme organised to commemorate the death anniversary of the great Goan nationalist Dr Francisco Luis Gomes, Faleiro said most political parties are in touch with him to discuss the prevailing political situation, adding that as many as five probable candidates vying for the Navelim seat have been invited by him for the football finals in Navelim.
Asked whether there is any chance that he would contest the upcoming polls, Faleiro said, “Most of the parties, including the Congress, are in touch with me. But I have taken sanyas since the time I resigned from all political posts and from the Rajya Sabha.”
Asked about the possibility of his children entering electoral politics, he shot back, “My elder son is an architect and has no inclination towards politics. He is totally away from politics. My daughter too is away from politics. My younger son had been working hard to get me elected. There are a lot of people asking me the question whether my son will contest the elections. I have nothing to say, but if he wants to contest, he is free to do so.”
Reminding that he has been a member of the Goa Legislative Assembly on seven occasions, Faleiro said he could have been an MLA for three more terms, but he obeyed the Congress leadership’s call to serve the party across the country. “Under my leadership, I managed to get all the states, including Karnataka, under Congress rule. Have you ever heard Luizinho Faleiro opposing or saying a word against the Congress party?”
