MARGAO
An otherwise impressive Congress party padyatra was marred by a minor commotion when supporters of ticket contender Joaquim Alemao had a face-off with Goa Pradesh Congress Committee president Luizinho Faleiro as the Padyatra entered Cuncolim on Thursday morning.
Joaquim’s supporters demanded that Faleiro tender an apology for an alleged “goondagiri” remark, but the GPCC chief remained unfazed, literally taking on Joaquim’s supporters attired in T-shirts head on.
When a group of Joaquim’s supporters were demanding an apology, Faleiro sought to know whether he has referred any one of them as goondas, trying to explain that there was only a lone person who was creating disturbances at the function. The lone person, sources said, was demanding that Joaquim be allowed to address the gathering.
The incident occurred while the leaders were addressing the huge assembly of Congress workers and supporters, including Joaquim Alemao’s workers, who joined the Padyatra when it entered Cuncolim near the Combia Khuris.
Other Congress ticket contenders Clafacio Dias and Adv John Monteiro were also present on the dais along with Joaquim Alemao and party leaders, including MLAs Digambar Kamat and Babu Kavlekar, Luizinho Faleiro and others.
Even as party general secretary Altinho Gomes and Joaquim’s nephew Warren Alemao was trying to pacify the supporters, Faleiro dished out a loud and clear message to the huge assembly amidst cheers from Congress workers that the Congress party would only entertain good and disciplined people, who can understand the pains and sentiments of the people.
“In future, we want people who work for peace. In future, we want people with discipline. In future, we do not want people who create disturbances and disturb peace”, he said. As Faleiro asserted that the party do not want people believe in “Paisa Pheko, tamasha dkeho”, there was another round of cheers from the workers, belonging to the rival faction.
Faleiro told the media that there was only person in the midst of thousands of Congress workers, who was not behaving in a peaceful manner. “He was saying something, though not against me. Such persons have no place in the party. One should have the guts to tell such people that they are doing wrong,” he said, adding “the padyatra is a sacred movement and it has no place for discord and disturbances”.
