MARGAO, SEPT 27
A day after Luizinho Faleiro and Francisco Sardinha made their presence in Benaulim constituency, PWD Minister Churchill Alemao has dared the duo to contest from Benaulim in the next Assembly polls instead of supporting the candidature of aspiring candidates.
Reacting to the presence of Luizinho and Sardinha at Colva at the birthday function of South Goa Congress Vice-President, Francis Sequeira, who has disclosed plans to contest from Benaulim, Alemao sought to know why Luizinho and Sardinha are propping other candidates in Benaulim.
He dared one of them to contest from Benaulim instead of supporting others as that would make them realise their stand in the constituency. “It appears that Faleiro now thinks that he is above Congress President Sonia Gandhi as he has started assuring tickets to Congress candidates”, he said, adding that both Luizinho and Sardinha are trying their best to return to State politics and dared them to contest from Benaulim constituency in the coming polls.
On Faleiro’s statement that he is opposed to Greater Goa, Alemao said that it was the dream of late Ravindra Kelekar, who had espoused the cause of inclusion of Konkani speaking areas into Goa to make the state Greater Goa. “I have only made a suggestion to the Goans leaders to debate on Kelekar’s dream to decide the future of the State”, Alemao said.
Incidentally, the PWD minister said that he was accused by many when he had signed the Tillari and Konkan Railway project on grounds that these projects would adversely affect Goa and Goans, adding that Goans have now realised how these and other projects have benefit the State.
“Karwar has land admeasuring 3250 sq kms and around three lakh population. If the area is merged with Goa, then we can get nuclear power from the Kaiga plant and can shift the Navy from Dabolim to the Sea Bird at Karwar”, he added.
