TEAM HERALD
VASCO: Dabolim MLA Mauvin Godinho’s outburst against the Congress party on Wednesday was a virtual encore of his tirade against his party during the 2014 Lok Sabha polls almost a year ago.
What began as an angry reaction to then GPCC president John Fernandes’s caustic remark against Godinho, ended up with his open disdain towards the Congress.
The Congress Lok Sabha candidate, Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco, eventually lost the polls, but the GPCC refrained from expelling Godinho for anti-party activities. This is seen in stark contrast to GPCC’s decision to expel its St Cruz MLA Atanasio (Babush) Monserrate for a similar crime, following the loss of Congress candidate Surendra Furtado in the recent Panjim by-polls.
Godinho’s resentment towards the Congress party became vocal on March 12, 2014, when he was reacting to Fernandes’ taunt at a rally in Margao.
Reacting to Fernandes’ statement that Godinho’s absence would not affect the Congress party since Godinho has just one vote, Godinho challenged the then GPCC chief to first get elected at the panchayat level, before commenting on legislators
Fernandes’ jibe against Godinho did not go down well with his supporters. A day later, aggrieved members of the Dabolim Mahila Congress Block Committee and Dabolim Congress Block Committee set a 72-hour deadline for an apology from Fernandes over his reported statement against Godinho, failing which they threatened not to support the Congress Lok Sabha candidate.
Then Dabolim Mahila Congress block president Anita Thorat went a step further. “We will also prevent our MLA Mauvin Godinho from working for the Congress Lok Sabha candidate,” Thorat had told Herald on March 18.
The very next day, the Dabolim Block Congress and Block Mahila Congress decided to rule out any support to the Congress candidate for South Goa, over Fernandes’ failure to apologize to Godinho and retract his adverse remarks on Godinho.
“The remark against Godinho was not only an insult to Godinho, but to all Congress workers of Dabolim constituency. We will neither support the Congress candidate nor will we allow Godinho to work in the Lok Sabha election,” the then Dabolim Congress Block President Swapnish Gaonkar had said.
On the same day, Godinho dropped the bombshell when he announced that he would not support Lourenco’s candidature for the South Goa Lok Sabha seat. He also confirmed that he would abide by the decision of his supporters not to support any Congress candidates for the South Goa seat.
Adding insult to injury, some members of the Dabolim Block Congress and other supporters of Godinho met then chief minister Manohar Parrikar outside Godinho’s office at Sancoale on April 3 and pledged their support to BJP’s South Goa candidate Narendra Sawaikar.
On April 9, Godinho openly campaigned in favour of BJP at a meeting with supporters near the residence of Bogmalo Sarpanch Laximan Kavlekar in Bogmalo.
Later on April 21, Godinho said the humiliations he had suffered for being loyal to the party had begun after the 2007 assembly polls. “Despite winning for the third term from Cortalim constituency, I was made a deputy speaker of the assembly instead of being rewarded with a cabinet berth.”
“The next humiliation I suffered was during the 2012 assembly election where I was unceremoniously removed as the party’s campaign chief. My only fault was that I had raised my voice against illegal mining and family raj, due to which the Congress was pushed into the corner,” said Godinho.
“Just because I was vocal against some leaders, the Congress leaders tried to topple me during the 2012 election by working against me. However, those who tried to bring me down fell like nine pins and the Congress was reduced to single-digit figure in the assembly,” Godinho added.
MAUVIN GODINHO’S QUOTES
“The Congress has dug its own grave during the last assembly election and by deputing John Fernandes as president of Goa Pradesh Congress Committee, the Congress has hammered the last nail in the coffin.”
—March 19, 2014
“I had always led the Congress during a crisis and during every election. For this good work, the Congress leaders from the State and those representing Goa at the national level always sabotaged my developmental works in previous Cortalim constituency.”
March 19, 2014
“A year ago (2013), I had warned party leaders that if things go worse I will not be able to be with the party.”
March 19, 2014
“I had been neglected and ill-treated by the Congress government, while the Parrikar-led BJP government had implemented many of my projects.”
—April 9, 2014
“All my projects were cancelled during the Congress tenure and have now been passed by (then) chief minister Manohar Parrikar. All the works that were kept pending during the Congress government were fulfilled by Parrikar, even though I am in the opposition.”
—April 9, 2014
“Since Parrikar had stood by me in all my developmental works, I had assured to stand by him. I did this even when the Congressman wanted to topple the BJP government. I stood firmly by Parrikar and did not allow the plans of toppling the government to materialise.”
—April 9, 2014
