Hypothetical to discuss post-poll alliances with AAP and TMC at this stage: Dinesh Rao

PANJIM The AICC desk in charge Dinesh Gundu Rao has his task cut out. He needs to ensure that his party wins a majority or at least very close to a majority. And more importantly, ensure that his flock stays together after the elections.

 In an interview to Herald TV, he appeared “confident” of a full majority, and yet the decision of most of its candidates going to a church and a temple to take an oath that no one would defect reflected a general unease

“The Congress is confident that it will get a majority and its alliance will be comfortably placed come March 10-the judgment day for political parties. I’m confident of our victory. The people will give a clear mandate this time and the anti-BJP vote will be much higher this time”, he said  

What happens if Congress falls short of the majority? Will go by ground realities at that point of time

“I do not want to discuss a hypothetical situation where Congress would get about 14 seats and would fall about seven seats short of the magical majority mark of 21 seats, where it would have to explore an alliance with the AAP or TMC or both. “When the situation arises, we can discuss it. It is a bit too early to answer the question. People don’t want the BJP to be in power. People will give a clear mandate. If the situation arises will go by ground realities at that time”, he said

We took time to decide on our alliance with Goa Forward. I see it as a happy marriage with no repeat of last time

On the Congress alliance with Goa Forward, Rao said it was not the correct move for Vijai Sardesai to ally with the BJP in 2017. He also learned his lessons. “We took our time, due to certain issues. This is a fixed alliance; we have not put candidates against him. Last time there was no pre-poll alliance. This time he’s campaigning for our candidates. This is a more focused alliance. It is a happy marriage. I don’t see repetition of last time,” Rao said.

The controversy over an alliance with TMC

TMC came to Congress and usurped its leaders. When you want to have a handshake you cannot be holding a knife at the back. You got to show your hand clearly, alleging unlike in West Bengal TMC did not do grassroots politics, they did parachute politics and came with a destructive agenda”

The shadow of 2017 still lingers: Defectors wanted to return

Admitting that after the 2017 election results Congress went through turmoil and lots of ups and downs with debilitating defections, Congress firmly decided not to take back the defectors even as there was lot of pressure before allotting tickets. “There was pressure from within or outside. Even before the tickets were given, they (the 10 MLAs who defected to the BJP in 2018) tried to get back to us,” Dinesh Gundu Rao said “We said we have to give a new idea to the people. We can’t go back to what Congress was or go back with those faces back to the electorate, he added.

If Congress had to go back to the electorate with old faces, we would be totally discredited. Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco (*Curtorim MLA) had the door slammed in his face, when he tried to re-enter the Congress.

Why did Congressmen take oath at Church and a temple? To clear inner doubts.

Quizzed about the candidates taking vows at religious places Rao confessed it was very spontaneous and the suggestion came from candidates themselves. “We had to regain the faith of people. Candidates said this will not happen again. India has great respect for faith, so they were pledging that what happened in 2017, will not happen again.

Asked whether  the issue of defection is the elephant in the room the party and candidates had a sense of unease, he admitted that candidates may have felt that there are doubts in people’s minds and they should clear it clearly

What about the reverse engineering of inducting Michael Lobo? Was Bardez outsourced to him?

 Asked about the admission of former Minister Michael Lobo and whether the Bardez campaign was outsourced to him. Rao said “Lobo is a big leader who was unhappy with the BJP and moved to the Congress. His entry helped the Congress in Bardez, but in Mapusa, Aldona, and Porvorim Congress had its own candidates. In Siolim of course, the ticket was given to Lobo’s wife and in Saligao with Jayesh Salgaocar joining BJP, the dynamics changed and Kedar Naik had to be fielded. Bardez is not Michael Lobo’s fiefdom. He is adding strength and making winnability of all these candidates”

 Asked if Lobo would not leave after winning the election, Rao said “iI’s not easy to leave the BJP in the first place, given its vindictiveness. He has taken this step after a lot of thought”

 We didn’t count Ravi Naik as among us since his sons went to BJP. But PratapSingh Rane has a different stature

 After Luizinho Faleiro left the party the Congress had just their MLAs left, PratapSinghRane, Ravi Naik, and Alexio Reginaldo Lourenco a fortnight before polling it has only of them among those who won in 2017, who is contesting the forthcoming elections.

 About Ravi Naik, Gundu Rao said, “The moment Ravi Naik’s sons joined the BJP, we did not count the father as among us”. However, when asked, why the same thought process didn’t work for Pratapsingh Rane, he said “ Shri Rane had his own stature and there was no issue with his personal integrity, but it was his son Vishwajit put huge pressure on him and truncated his father’s legacy. This was not a good end. But he’s with the party, not contesting elections”

 The Congress lost leaders but retained voters

On the questions about Congress having lost leaders but not lost its core voters, Rao said voters too wanted a see a new Congress, otherwise, we don’t think they would have accepted us. “I think now because of what we have done and what we have been quite successful in doing, we have given the confidence to own voters that yes we should trust the Congress,” he said.