MARGAO/PANJIM: All India Congress Committee (AICC) Vice-President Rahul Gandhi will walk almost two kilometers in Margao on Friday concluding the padayatra launched by the party last month.
Gandhi will arrive in Margao around 3.30 pm and bring down the curtains to the padyatra by walking for almost an hour from Holy Spirit Church to the SAG ground near Fatorda Stadium where he will address a public rally.
Addressing the media in Margao, Goa Pradesh Congress Committee President Luizinho Faleiro said, “Rahul Gandhi has come to Goa many times but his address to the public will be the first. He is an emerging new face of youth in India.”
He added, “I congratulate him for being the only one to stand in a queue and face the problems the common man has faced. The Nehru-Gandhi family has deep relations with Goa. His great grandfather, Nehru, gave freedom to Goans. Indira made efforts to give Sahitya Academy representation to Konkani.”
Gandhi is expected to address a crowd of over 10,000, which will be the first Congress public rally in the run up to the 2017 State Legislative Assembly polls. The padayatra which began on November 29 has travelled 266 kilometres and through 34 constituencies.
Speaking on the political happenings in Goa, Faleiro
said, “When a minister of the government says that the government is a failure then it is an eloquent testimony to the state of affairs of the BJP government.”
Commenting on the candidate selection Faleiro said, “Blocks have been asked submit names to the district committee and the process of selecting candidates is underway.”
Referring to the Dabolim and Cumbarjua seats, where the sitting Congress MLAs are likely to quit the party and join another, Faleiro said, “The block committees of Dabolim and Cumbarjua have met us and told us to give tickets to new faces. It is a popular sentiment across Goa.”
Speaking on the promotion of Gandhi as AICC Chief, Faleiro said, “Executive Committee has discussed and it is the unanimous decision of the AICC to make Rahul President of AICC.”
