PANAJI: AAP South Goa Joint Secretary and former Varca Sarpanch Salesiana ‘Selu’ Fernandes and Francis Coelho joined the Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) on Sunday. Fernandes resigned from AAP following the exit of Francis Coelho.
The two were welcomed into the party by GPCC President Girish Chodankar, Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao, AICC Goa in-charge Manikrao Thakare and other Congress leaders at the party office in Panaji.
Speaking on the occasion, Coelho said he entered politics with the objective of working for Goa and alleged that the state’s “vibe” had been affected under the BJP government.
“We entered political life only for one thing - Goa. People from all around the world come to Goa because there is a vibe. Under the BJP’s rule, that vibe has been killed. I had joined another party earlier thinking that platform would help us fight for Goa and safeguard the interests of Goa, but that didn’t happen. The only party which has understood Goa is Congress, which is why we have joined the party,” Coelho said.
Coelho also praised Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi for his work in exposing the BJP.
Fernandes, who is also a sitting panchayat member, alleged that she did not receive support from the AAP leadership and that decisions were taken without consulting her.
“No support was given from the party and decisions were taken without our consent. There was a lot of work pending in Varca village which the MLA never supported. Recently, they joined hands with the Goa Forward Party. Being an office-bearer, I was not called for the meeting, which was very hurtful,” Fernandes said.
