Shalom who has jumped into the electoral fray after his father and sitting MP Francisco Sardinha was denied a Congress ticket, says that they have been humiliated by the party leaders.
Why is Francisco Sardinha’s son Shalom contesting the April 12 Lok Sabha poll.
The purpose is many-fold: I had always believed in the Congress ideology which spoke about justice, equality, truth, liberty and freedom. This was adopted at the 1929 party convention attended by Mahatma Gandhi, Nehru and others. But, the party has today deviated from the path, forcing me to quit the party. Secondly, my father had taken a lot of works under the MPLAD scheme which are at various stages of implementation. I felt it was necessary to show cause to the voters the MPLAD works. Thirdly, the Congress candidate is very vindictive in nature and last, but not the least I have a dream for Goa and Curtorim.
Is Sardinha expected to hit your election campaign in the coming days?
I have the backing and blessing of my father as long I stick to the path of truth and justice. I have requested him for his support and I have his blessings. I do not know when he will actually come down on the streets to support me. I will stick to my battle of truth and the truth will prevail.
There were reports that Shalom would withdraw from the fray as the Congress was ready to offer you the Curtorim seat in the event of a bye-poll. What went wrong?
Yes, there were backroom discussions over my candidature and I had just asked them for a clear understanding.
I had offered to withdraw from the fray on condition Reginaldo resigns as the MLA of Curtorim. Well, they had come with many offers, some promising my positions in the party, while others said I would be the candidate for the Curtorim by-poll. But, I wanted Reginaldo to resign as an MLA first before contesting the Lok Sabha poll.
There’s a perception in the minds of the voters that Shalom is contesting the poll to take revenge against the Congress for not giving Sardinha the ticket. How would you handle the propaganda that you are contesting the poll to split the secular vote.
There are some persons, including an Independent MLA, who is working overtime to spread such rumours. I am not out to take revenge against the Congress because my father was denied the ticket. But, I agree that we were all angry, because the party leaders humiliated us. They could have told us that Sardinha would not be re-nominated again, and we would have bowed out gracefully. I am not in the fray to split the secular vote. I am the only candidate who fit the bill as a secular, honest and educated candidate.
Name just one Assembly segment where Shalom is expected to do well in the husting. Is this the beginning of Francisco Sardinha son’s entry into electoral politics.
Well, I don’t know which segment I would do well in the election. We will come to know on the day of counting. But, I am confident of performing well in Curtorim and other neighbouring segments.
Whether this is the beginning of Shalom’s political career or not would depend on the results of the April 12 Lok Sabha poll.
What is your agenda before the people of South Goa.
I have placed before the people my 26 point manifesto. I would focus on agriculture, floriculture and employment for the youth. Jobs in the IT sector will be giving priority. Special focus will be given to self help groups, giving women the opportunity to empower themselves and to live in dignity.
I also intend to open a 24-hour helpline for the taxis and to cover the rural areas of the state with CCTVs. I have plans for education too, with free internet kiosks in the villages. Health sector in the state also needs attention.
How do you rate your chances? Will you support the Congress at the centre in the event of your victory?
Everybody contests to win. People know that I am an honest and a clean candidate. In the event of my victory, I will support anyone who is ready to implement my manifesto.
