MARGAO
Congress’s Goy Rakhonn Yatra entered Fatorda, the home turf of Goa Forward Party chief Vijai Sardesai, in grand fashion on Wednesday, with senior party leaders asserting that the party’s “doors and windows” remain open for like-minded opposition parties to come together to defeat the BJP in the 2027 Assembly elections.
When the rally reached the constituency near the South Goa Collectorate building on Wednesday evening, local Congress workers welcomed the yatra with slogans expressing confidence that the party would emerge victorious in Fatorda in the future.
Later, at the culmination of the rally at the SGPDA grounds, Party leaders including Congress Goa desk in-charge, Manikrao Thakare and senior Congress working president M K Sheikh said that the party’s doors and windows are open for like-minded opposition parties to come together to unitedly defeat the BJP in 2027.
The yatra was welcomed by local Congress leaders Yogesh Nagvenkar, Melvyn Fernandes and others as party top leaders comprising of Thakare, GPCC Chief Girish Chodankar, MLA Alton D’Costa, Sidhanath Buyao, MP Captain Viriato Fernandes, besides Adv. Seolla Vas and others entered Fatorda near the Collectorate building. After a brief sloganeering by party workers that the Congress would win in Fatorda, the rally wend its way toward the Nehru stadium where they paid respects to St Francis Xavier and Lord Dambab before culminating at the SGPDA ground.
Congress leaders, who addressed the workers on the SGPDA ground made no reference to the Goa Forward party or the recent political developments. Barring Leader of Opposition, Yuri Alemao, who said the Fatorda has Congress voters and well wishers, resulting in the massive victory of Captain Viriato in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, other leaders focused their attention on targeting the BJP.
In his address, Thakare said “We always said other parties that our doors are open. All opposition parties must come together. This is is not our feelings but the feelings and sentiments of the people of Goa. In deference to the wishes of the people, the Congress party leadership has unanimously decided to respond to this sentiment. On this basis, we will take a decision how to go ahead”.
In his address, senior working president M K Sheikh said the Congress party has taken a decision to take along all like-minded political parties together to defeat the BJP in 2027. “In the past, we had said that the doors and windows of the Congress party are open for all like minded parties to come together. We reiterate that all likeminded parties should come together to defeat the BJP and save Goa from destruction”, Sheikh added.
Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao reminded the people that Fatorda had given a huge lead for MP Viriato Fernandes in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, apparently driving home the point that no one should take the Congress for granted.
Referring to the state of affairs of the SGPDA fish market renovated on the lines of the Dubai market, Alemao demanded to know the situation in the market, saying that everything seemed centred around fish.
Referring to the alliance of like minded parties, the Opposition leader said the Revolutionary Goans Party has extended support to the Congress in the fight against the BJP and to save Goa.
Complimenting the Fatorda committee members and ex-Convenor Yogesh Nagvenkar, Alemao cautioned, “Do not underestimate the Congress. The party had given statehood to Goa and made Konkani the official language. Some people are talking about defections. We did not defect in the last four and half years and we have not engineered any defections now or in the past”.
