PANAJI
Nine years after making its first foray into Goa’s politics, does the Trinamool Congress have Goa back again on its radar?
According to two-time Congress MLA Agnelo Fernandes, who has had a running feud with Calangute MLA and Ports Minister Michael Lobo, he did receive feelers from the West Bengal-based party, but added that he was not one to quit the Congress.
“I have been with the Congress through thick and thin. Feelers have been sent to us, saying Congress wants to take (Ports Minister Michael Lobo) Michael, why are you with the Congress? But I refused to participate in such a conversation,” Fernandes said on Tuesday.
Reports have been rife about the Trinamool Congress looking to rope in Goa’s netas with an eye on making a political splash in the upcoming 2022 assembly polls.
While Revolutionary Goans founder Manoj Parab has scoffed at reports about his yet-to-be-formally launched political party having any truck with the West Bengal-based party, a section of the local media has reported that former Chief Minister and Congress stalwart Luizinho Faleiro being contacted by Trinamool Congress.
“Lot of people are doing surveys. They are meeting all the leaders,” Faleiro said when asked to comment on the speculative reports.
The political grapevine in Goa is already abuzz with a many-strong team of I-PAC volunteers fanning out in the coastal state to find out the political ground reality in the state, ahead of the polls. The I-PAC and its founder Prashant Kishor, a renowned political strategist, had been hired by Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee ahead of the recently held high voltage state assembly elections in Bengal, in which she had trounced the Bharatiya Janata Party.
If the TMC does make a foray into Goa now, it would be the second time that the party would be trying to make its political presence felt in the state. The party had roped in former Chief Minister Dr Wilfred de Souza in 2012 to head the party’s affairs, but had failed to make a dent in the subsequent assembly polls. Former Chief Minister Churchill Alemao had also joined the party in 2014.
Met no Trinamool leader, but with I-PAC team, maintains Luizinho
MARGAO: Senior Congress leader and Navelim MLA Luizinho Faleiro on Tuesday firmly denied having met any TMC leader, but hastened to add that he had discussions with the I-PAC team.
He further said that a number of political leaders are believed to have had discussions with I-PAC team leaders during their visit to the state.
