MARGAO
All seemed quite atop Luchel Caminho de Monte at Borda, the residence of ex-Rajya Sabha MP and former Chief Minister Luizinho Faleiro.
A day after he quit his membership of the Rajya Sabha MP, Faleiro returned home by the Wednesday evening flight from Delhi. There was not much activity at his residence as Faleiro was closeted with family members after paying a couple of condolence visits early Thursday morning.
Faleiro’s resignation has become the talking point in Goa’s political circles, with political observers and politicos across the political spectrum seeking answers to the oft-repeated questions “ What’s next on Faleiro’s political agenda and whether he would chart out a new course as he braces up to cut short his brief innings with Mamata’s TMC after quitting the Rajya Sabha seat.
For the moment, neither Faleiro nor his close family members prefer to discuss politics, for the simply reason he hasn’t officially severed ties with the TMC. None other than Faleiro knows for sure that it isn’t prudent for him to unveil his future political agenda just days after quitting the Rajya Sabha.
In fact, do not be surprised if one comes across Faleiro unveiling plans to pen a book on the battle fought by the people in the 80’s to achieve the twin aspirants of Goans, to make Konkani the official language of the State and statehood for Goa.
He has another plan too, an apolitical one “ a mission to agriculture in the state forward by involving farmers and agriculturists, who have success stories to their credit in the field of agriculture.
Says Faleiro: “I have started the work of writing the book on the struggle for Konkani language and statehood. I have already penned two chapters and I intend to complete the job within the next couple of months”.
He added: “The younger generation doesn’t really know the sacrifices and the struggle made by the people of Goa during the language movement till the time Goa was bestowed the status of a full-fledged statehood. It’s my endeavour to compile the entire movement in the book for the benefit of the younger generation”.
The two-time former Chief Minister recalls how the language movement took the centre stage after he tabled the resolution in the Goa Legislative Assembly to make Konkani the official language of Goa.
His brief stint at Rajya Sabha MP gave Faleiro the platform to raise a host of questions plaguing Goa, including Mhadei, environment, agriculture et al. “The questions I raised in the Rajya Sabha from day one till the time I decided to quit office helped me to obtain lot of information on the issues affecting Goa. Based on the information, I am planning to join hands with people involved in farming as part of the mission to revive to agriculture in the State”, he said.
Political observers say that Faleiro is expected to maintain low-key, away from the hustle and bustle of party politics, at least for the time being after he parts way with the TMC by keeping himself preoccupied with his book on Konkani and statehood and takes up Mission agriculture.
With the Lok Sabha general election a year away and the next Assembly election for Goa scheduled in 2027, political observers say Faleiro is unlikely to move in a hurry to return to active politics or to join a political dispensation in the near future.
