MARGAO: Royla Fernandes, the Congress candidate contesting the Zilla Panchayat elections from Benaulim, has brought together three persons who had contested the last assembly elections against each other under the simple agenda of defeating the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Briefing media persons, Royla said that she has realised that the division of secular votes had resulted in the BJP supporter Churchill Alemao winning the assembly election; therefore, they are determined not to repeat the same mistake this time.
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Accompanying her were former MLA Caitu Silva who had also contested the last Assembly elections along with another assembly poll candidate Edwin Barreto who was the Congress candidate. All three said the Congress has learnt from its past mistakes and is facing the people with a new agenda.
Caitu, pointing out that he had joined the Congress before the Lok Sabha elections, said the decision was taken only to protect the future of the children as Congress is the only party worthy of combating the BJP at the national level.
Royla admitted that defections by Congress MLAs have given the party a bad image amongst the people but assured that the ‘riffraff’ have left the party and those who are remaining are the diehard Congress supporters who will not defect.
On the occasion, she also released her manifesto listing out her agenda, if elected to the Zilla Panchayat. Her agenda are: youth empowerment, legal aid; promoting automation in garbage management, fishing community, farmers; she also assures to protect environment and promote local traditional occupations.
She asserted that having the Western bypass on stilts is a village cause that she supports and said she would take up other village issues too as and when they arise.
Averring that she is all for segregation of waste at home, she said that Benaulim being a coastal constituency, managing garbage is a big problem due to tourism.
She said that all youth cannot be provided with jobs, as such, she would concentrate on training youngsters to be entrepreneurs.
Promising to set up probono legal aid facilities for the people, she said she would work to set up mini markets for the fishing community, in the absence of which, they are forced to sit by the roadside.
Tracing her roots to the toddy tappers community, she said she would promote coconut pluckers, deal with the diseases affecting coconut palms and encourage organic farming and traditional occupations
“Protecting River Sal is of paramount importance as the river is literally dying,” she said.
