Team Herald
PANJIM: Goa’s Doctor of Politics has checked out. One of the tallest icons of Goan politics and the senior-most political leader of our land who never said goodbye to politics, passed away quietly at the Manipal hospital, surrounded by doctors practicing a profession which was always Dr Wilfred de Souza’s first love. He, however, leaves behind a Goa, that actually needs a lot of healing. And perhaps an opposition that can carry the people’s voice into the Assembly and beyond.
The end came on Friday morning after a brief illness. He was 88. The funeral will take place on Sunday at Saligao church at 10.30 am. Dr de Souza is survived by his wife Grace and two daughters. As per information given by Dr de Souza’s relatives, the former chief minister slipped and fell in his house at Saligao on Thursday morning and later turned breathless.
“De Souza was shifted here from another private hospital last (Thursday) night. He was breathless. He died of a heart attack this morning at 9.15 am,” Manipal Hospital clinical head Dr Shekhar Salkar said.
The mortal remains of Dr de Souza were brought to his residence at Saligao at around 4.20 pm on Friday.
Upon learning of his death, villagers, friends and admirers thronged Dr de Souza’s residence to have a last glimpse of their leader.
A skilled surgeon, Dr de Souza had a double FRCS (Edinburgh and London) and on his return to Goa entered the political field.
Dr de Souza was thrice chief minister of the State from May 18, 1993 to April 2, 1994, from April 8, 1994 to November 23, 1994 and then from July 29, 1998 to February 8, 1999. He was first elected on an United Goans Party ticket from Benaulim in 1974, but later switched to the Congress, before forming his own Goa Congress Party in 1983. He returned to the Congress and was chief minister heading a Congress government in 1993. He later broke away and formed the Goa Rajiv Congress and then joined the Nationalist Congress Party. His last party was the Trinamool Congress.
The State government has declared three-day State mourning to condole the former chief minister’s death. As a mark of respect, the government has cancelled all its functions, including the Teachers Day programme, scheduled on Saturday that has been postponed to September 8.
Announcing the three-day State mourning, Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar said de Souza’s death is a great loss to State.
He said he has directed all departments to cancel government functions scheduled for the next three days. However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s man ki baat with school children would be telecast, he said.
