Team Herald
PANJIM: Following months of uncertainty Congress and Goa Forward Party (GFP) on Saturday formally sealed their pre-poll alliance for the upcoming Goa Assembly elections. Coming on the eve of Liberation Day, the parties described it as a move to re-liberate Goa from corrupt and communal politics.
“Today I am happy to announce that Congress and Goa Forward Party have entered into alliance for the forthcoming Goa Assembly elections,” All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge for Goa Dinesh Gundu Rao told media persons after attending a meeting of leaders of both parties.
“After Vijai Sardesai (GFP president) met our leader Rahul Gandhi in Delhi and expressed his support to the Congress party and said that he wants to work with us, to defeat the communal corrupt BJP government in Goa and to bring about a change in Goa, we welcomed his support,” Rao said.
The AICC leader said that after returning to Goa there were more interactions between the party leaders, that the small issues that existed have been ironed out and that they were looking for a new beginning.
“Whatever has happened in the past, has happened in the past. In politics there is always scope for friendship and alliances and we have mutual trust and confidence in each other,” he said.
Echoing this, Sardesai who was present “What is bygone is bygone. We don’t want to discuss the past. We want to look at a bright future and we will achieve it. Today on the auspicious day we want to re-liberate Goa,” he said.
At the very least the past has been acrimonious with Sardesai even accusing Congress of ‘stealing’ his party candidates.
He added, “We have said in the past that on the eve of Goa’s 60th Liberation Day, we will give an alliance that will liberate the State from this autocratic government. We have a government in Goa which is in the politics of acquisitions and takeovers which is poisoning democracy and there is a need to start a new liberation movement to re-liberate Goa from this corrupt, communal and brashtrachari Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP),” he said.
Speaking on the issues involved, Rao said that during the discussions that they had with Goa Forward, they were able to coordinate and sort out what should be in the manifesto, what should be the programmes and how they should campaign.
“We will be going to the elections together and I expect that this alliance will bring along many other people who will be joining the Congress. I am sure that in this election the people have decided to reject the BJP and if they want a stable formulation in the State. They want a government which works for the people which can deliver justice, development to Goa and bring about good governance in the State,” he said.
To a question, Rao said that the details of seat-sharing between both the parties would be announced later.
Sardesai said that there is a need for all like-minded people to team up. “This is Team Goa what I have been talking about. What began at the residence of Rahul Gandhi has now culminated here on very auspicious day (Datta Jayanti) we are ushering a change,” he said.
The GFP president said that the people are against this party (BJP) but elected representatives are surprisingly joining this unpopular party due to dadagiri of the Central government. “Goans are socio-politically conscious and they will defeat this dadagiri (by BJP),” he said.
Sardesai pointed out that the view of political strategists is that there cannot be an alternative to the BJP without the Congress as the principle opposition party.
