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Our beautiful Goa is blessed with rivers and mountains. This government has sold the mountains and fields and now have set in motion the process to sell the rivers
- Luizinho Faleiro
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Faleiro seeks support for
Congress in Bicholim
>> See pg 3
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RALLYING MOMENTS FOR CONGRESS
* The motorcycle rally crosses through Nuvem constituency
* Enters Fatorda near the district Collectorate
* Wends its way through before making a halt at Navelim
* Filipe Neri Rodrigues welcomes rally near his Sirlim residence
* The rally heads to Cavelossim via Assolna-Cavelossim bridge
* Passes through villages of Varca, Benaulim and Colva
* Finally culminates at the Congress district office in Margao
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The Congress party virtually kicked off its election campaign in Salcete on Sunday as the party’s motorcycle rally to protest government’s plan to nationalise Goa’s six rivers, passed through as many as six out of the eight assembly constituencies in the taluka, with Goa Pradesh Congress Committee president Luizinho Faleiro giving a call to the people to wake up and save Goa and the rivers for posterity.
Party ticket aspirants, local party leaders and party workers made their presence felt at the rally, which kicked off from Nagoa “ the origin of River Sal, considered the lifeline of Salcete. Banners and posters were put all along the route through the constituencies, accusing the government for selling Goa and the rivers.
The motorcycle rally carrying the GPCC president and other leaders crossed through Nuvem constituency, before entering into Fatorda near the district Collectorate. The rally later wend its way through before making a halt at Navelim, where a number of party workers waited since morning to welcome and join the rally.
Former Minister and strong ticket contender for the Velim seat, Filipe Neri Rodrigues welcomed the rally on NH-17 near his Sirlim residence before the rally headed to Assolna and made its presence felt at Cavelossim after crossing the Assolna-Cavelossim bridge. The rally finally culminated at the Congress district office in Margao after passing through the villages of Varca, Benaulim and Colva.
In his spirited address, Faleiro said that people came in thousands to participate in the rally with just one call, thus showing their love for Goa. “We cannot forget this gesture. Our beautiful Goa is blessed with rivers and mountains. This government has sold the mountains and fields and now have set in motion the process to sell the rivers,” he said amidst thunderous applause from party workers.
He said it is the sacred duty of every Goan to protect and preserve the rivers and beautiful Goa for the future generation.
Lashing out at the BJP-led government, Faleiro said the present government is against the workers, farmers, fishermen, mundcars, tenants and the Goans at large. “Why are the workers and Goans on the roads every day when Goa once boasted of being the state with higher per capita income. There’s a need to come together and unitedly fight this government,” he said, while asserting that the people of Goa are ready to shed their blood to save Goa.
Earlier, Rajya Sabha MP Shantaram Naik flanked by Congress general secretary Altino Gomes and South district president, Subhash Faldesai, told the media that the government has appointed BJP president Amit Shah’s lawyer to study the Centre’s proposal to study the river nationalization issue. “We demand that the lawyer come down to Goa and meet all the stakeholders before compiling any report. The haste with which the proposal to nationalize rivers is being pushed through shows something hanky-panky," he said.
