TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
MARGAO: It was 10.15 am on Wednesday. Independent MLA Vijai Sardesai and his Goemkar team were camping at Sonsodo to welcome Congress candidate Reginaldo Lourenco into Fatorda for a day-long election campaign.
The Congress candidate was already late by almost 45 minutes, pre-occupied with attending to supporters pouring from all quarters, as he began the day with a visit to Navelim Church to seek blessings of Our Lady of Rosary. He finally hit the campaign trail, pillion riding with Fatorda MLA on a Bullet Motorcycle, after a short prayer at
the miraculous cross at Sonsodo before having a word with Rachol Parish Priest
Fr Erodiano Fernandes travelling on a motorbike towards Margao.
The Congress candidate hopped from chapels to crosses and temples along the way as the motorcycle rally wend its way across Fatorda, seeking divine blessings for his electoral success.
Wearing a Congress party scarf round his neck, Reginaldo appeared not unduly worried that the motorbikes participating in the rally were all sporting flags of Vijai’s Goemkar. The rally had its first halt, around a kilometre away from Sonsodo, at Novo Waddo, with Reginaldo moving around, wishing all and sundry and seeking the support of shopkeepers and local residents.
The next stop was at the Arlem junction where he again paid obeisance at a cross, before the rally headed straight to Lord Damodar Temple near the Nehru stadium. “I want your support”, he requested a middle-aged man, as he shook hands him after coming out of the temple with Vijai in tow.
As the rally further wend its way towards Dovondem, Madel, Mungul and Pajifond, Reginaldo took time off, every time he and his supporters came across either a cross or temple or a chapel to seek blessings. It was 2 pm when the rally made its presence felt at Chandrawaddo – the home for sizeable Muslim voters. “We have to all come together to defeat communal forces raising their ugly head in the country”, an elderly Muslim voter appealed to a motley group of his community members around the venue. He made them understand how the Fatorda MLA is supporting the Congress candidate to avert a slip in the secular vote, while making a fervent plea to unite under Reginaldo.
As the Fatorda MLA took the mike, he said the 25-crore Muslim population will play a decisive role in the coming Lok Sabha poll. “If the BJP is so confident of a Modi wave, why have they fielded Churchill Alemao?” he asked, even as a youngster in the crowd remarked that the whole game plan is to split the secular vote.
In his brief address, Reginaldo sought the support of all communities to stop the march of the communal forces. And he promised to take up all issues dear to the heart of Goans in Parliament, if elected. Reginaldo and his supporters took a luncheon break at the Chandrawado football ground, before he hit the second leg of his campaign in the segment at Goulliwaddo – Fatorda’s cattle yard.
Many a farmer was taken aback when the Congress candidate gave them a piece of advise on how to take care of their cattle. “My family owned cattle before we disposed them to someone at Sanguem. I used to personally take care of the cattle”, Reginaldo said, as he tried to identify himself with dairy farmers.
While addressing the dairy farmers, Vijai tried to allay their apprehensions that the BJP government may take revenge against them for not voting for the party candidate. “You must have availed many a government scheme, but you need not necessarily vote for the ruling party candidate. No scheme will ever be discontinued. Government is a
continuous process”, Vijai told the farmers.
The rally later culminated into a public meeting at
the Fatorda ground, wherein speaker after speaker called for unity of all secular
people to defeat the communal forces.
