Panaji: Alleging that the BJP and the TMC have unholy nexus with crony capitalists and being funded by those who want to destroy Goa for coal and industry; the Congress Candidates for the upcoming Goa Assembly elections said that people of Goa will teach a lesson to these parties involved in the horse trading during the elections.
Congress Candidates Yuri Alemao, Sankalp Amonkar, Tony Rodriguez, Sudhir Kandolkar, Rajesh Verenkar and Altone D’Costa, who have been nominated by the Congress for the Assembly elections held a press conference in Panaji and stressed that they are loyal to the Congress Party and not ‘saleable commodities’ those fall for money. They expressed confidence that the Congress will form the next government in Goa under the leadership of Congress State President Girish Chodankar and former CM and Leader of Opposition Digambar Kamat.
The Congress Party has made a great contribution to the development of Goa. The Congress has been actively involved in the liberation struggle of Goa. The Congress party has always tried to preserve the identity, environment, culture and heritage of Goa, whether by holding a referendum to make Goa an independent entity, by giving Goa the Statehood or by giving Konkani the status of an official language. The Congress Party has played an important role in the construction of infrastructure in Goa, from the construction of a number of public utility projects. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the Congress Party worked tirelessly to help patients with Oxygen; said Yuri Alemao, Congress Candidate from Cuncolim.
“We are protesting against the horse-trading of political parties in Goa today” he said.
Sankalp Amonkar, Congress Candidate for the Murgaon Assembly seat, said that the people of Goa know that only the Congress Party has acted as a capable opposition in the last ten years.
“Other parties are like the bandits from outside the State. They only use money to buy the politicians. These parties are not aware of even a single issue of Goan people. Whereas the Congress Party has raised the voice of the people every single time,” he said recalling how Congress brought the issue of Mhadei from the assembly to the streets.
“Our activists protested in front of the then Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar and had also courted arrests against this issue. Congress also became people’s voice against Three Linear projects. We will never let Goa to become a coal hub. Congress is always there with Goan people,” Amonkar said.
Tony Rodriguese, Congress Candidate for Taleigaon Assembly seat said that the leaders who left the Congress Party and joined others are running after money. “They have reached the peak of immorality and have betrayed the people. The Congress is a family and by helping each other, We will bring the Congress Party back to power,” he said.
Blaming that Parties of outsiders are coming to Goa and trying to divide the Goan people on the strength of money, Sudhir Kandolkar, Congress candidate for Mapuca Assembly, said that people have full faith in Congress. “I am sure that Goa will vote for us and we will win with a huge majority. I promise that Congress candidates will not fall prey to the lure of money,” Kandolkar said.
Rajesh Verenkar, Congress Candidate for the Ponda Assembly seat stressed that all candidates are loyal to the Congress party and to the Congress ideology. He also attacked TMC calling it ‘a party confided to one state’. “TMC is playing dirty politics by bringing in a hired agency. They don’t care about Goa’s culture, its traditions, its social issues. The Congress Party has always taken the side of the people and raised their voice on various issues like inflation, unemployment, women security, coal hub, three linear projects,” he said.
Altone D’Costa, the Congress candidate for the Quepem Assembly seat said, “We will do our best to fulfill the trust placed in us by the Congress party leadership. They have announced the names of 8 candidates even before the election is declared. People will teach a lesson to those who have joined the other parties by betraying the Congress and the Goan people,” said D’Costa.
The candidates claimed that political outfits with no involvement in Goa’s development are trying to pollute Goa’s environment by taking money from the crony capitalists. All candidates expressed confidence that the people of Goa are smart and will teach lesson to all such parties in upcoming elections and bring the Congress party to power once again.
