TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: In a major boost to the Congress prospects, former chief minister Dr Wilfred D’Souza extended ‘unconditional support’ to the party for the ensuing Lok Sabha elections, saying it was a battle of Secularism versus Communalism.
He said he would vote for Ravi Naik and called upon supporters to do so. His son-in-law Tulio D’Souza officially joined the Congress with his supporters, in the presence of AICC Secretary A Chella Kumar.
“One party represents communalism and the other represents secularism, he said, while referring to the BJP and Congress and it is necessary to support secular forces,” he said at a news conference held in Congress House in Panjim on Wednesday.
Dr Wilfred claimed he hasn’t joined the party but, he added, he will extend his support to both candidates Ravi Naik and Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco in the North and South constituencies, respectively. The development incidentally comes at the time when former Congressman Churchill Alemao joined Trinamool Congress to contest LS polls from South Goa seat.
“I will vote for Ravi Naik because I am a voter from North Goa… I have worked with him (Naik) for a long time,” he further said in the presence of AICC Secretary A Chella Kumar, who is in Goa to participate in the election campaign, North Goa candidate Ravi Naik, Rajya Sabha MP Shantaram Naik and former Calangute MLA Agnelo D’Souza.
“My age does not allow me to be in any party. The question for helping Congress is not a big thing for me because I have always been associated with the party,” he said while listing out that he was President of the Congress, Goa Congress, Goa Rajiv Congress, Nationalist Congress and Trinamool Congress.
The former surgeon had joined Trinamool Congress (TMC) as State President during the 2012-General Assembly Elections only to quit as soon as the results were declared, wherein it failed to garner a single vote.
Chella Kumar through the press briefing urged the citizens to support Congress “to keep up the secular spirit and defeat the communal, fascist party.”
Responding to a question on Alemao’s resignation from the party, Dr D’Souza said he had asked the former not to be foolish.
“The moment it was reported in the papers (newspapers) about the deadlines, I told him ‘don’t be foolish…. Let him (Alemao) deny (this conversation)…” he said. Dr D’Souza however refrained from answering what could have led Alemao to quit Congress. “There are many reasons that passed through my head…” was his only reply.
