MAPUSA
Congress will play the role of constructive opposition by raising people’s issues and if need be, even come on the streets said former minister and Calangute MLA, Michael Lobo, suggesting that the new government will not have it easy.
Lobo, on Saturday, also said that he was not craving for any position in the Congress party but will focus on raising people’s issues in the entire State.
“Whenever the government makes mistakes we will bring it to their attention inside the assembly and outside it. If need be, we will come on the streets. We will galvanize the people. We will do anything and everything that is required in the interest of Goa and Goans,” Lobo said.
The third-time Calangute MLA was interacting with the media after paying tributes to the first chief minister of Goa, Dayanand Bandodkar, on his birth anniversary, in Calangute.
Continuing, Lobo reiterated that Congress will stand by the promises made during the election campaign and oppose the three linear projects with full force.
“If the government does something good then we will surely applaud them. But if something wrong is happening, we will point it out by way of letters to the CM or by press conferences. But if we have to do a dharna we will do that too,” he said.
He said Congress, AAP and RGP will have to work collectively as an opposition.
He also said the role of opposition was not new to him and that in his initial days with the BJP, he took part in several dharnas along with former CM Manohar Parrikar.
Lobo said that senior Congress leaders have not instructed or given him any specific role in the party.
“I have not been told anything about the leader of the opposition. I am not in the race for anything. Our race is over. We had come to form the government, but we fell short, and we accept it. People of Goa have asked us to sit in the opposition so we have to respect that,” he added.
He said that in Bardez, he had promised to bring five seats and was partly successful in his mission by getting four candidates elected.
He also said that Congress senior leaders will have to introspect on why the party fell short in getting the necessary numbers.
“We need to build the party from the grass-root level,” he opined.
