MARGAO: Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) Luizinho Faleiro on Friday kicked off his constituency-level campaign to take the Congress party to the doorsteps of the people with a call to senior party leaders to groom the young leadership to strengthen the party base in the state.
Taking cognizance of the huge turnout of Congress workers for the meeting at Chinchinim in Velim constituency, the PCC president played on the Salcete pride, terming the taluka as a sleeping giant, which had taken the giant lead to achieve the twin aspirations of Konkani and Statehood.
Addressing a huge meeting-cum-interaction at the Soccos Creative Farm this evening, Faeiro said the time has come for party leaders to go to the grassroots and understand the problems of the people. “Our leaders should do introspection why the party had lost the 2012 Assembly and Lok Sabha polls. We have to find out what has gone wrong for the party. If the party needs to apologize to the people, we should be prepared to apologise”, he said.
Saying the Congress party is not weak and has the inherent strength to bounce back, Faleiro appealed to senior leaders to groom the young leadership within the party. “We need the blessings of the elders, but we also need young blood. Today, 65 per cent of Goa’s population is youth below 35 years. We have to give representation to the youth in our party”, he said.
In his address, Leader of the Opposition Pratapsing Rane said that Faleiro will bring the Congress party’s lost glory, while calling on the workers to unite under the party banner. “Don’t loose hope and faith in the Congress because we have lost the election. We are living in a democracy”, he said, while urging Filipe Neri Rodrigeus to take the lead in Velim saying the people will rally behind him.
Filipe Neri, in his address, said that Faleiro will not find it difficult to tap new blood in the villages and announced that he too will one day hand over the party baton to the young blood. “We have to motivate the youth looking to take over the reigns of leadership. Velim has been
the heartland of the Congress. Today is the historic day for the Congress as Faleiro has launched the party’s revival campaign from Velim”, he said.
