TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
MARGAO: This feat may perhaps be unheard in political history with as many as four members of a single family being part of as many as three different political outfits.
Churchill Alemao’s move to embrace Mamta Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress may break his record tally of donning six political parties in his 30-year-old career. But, it also means that Varca-based Alemao clan has now added one more political party to the family kitty ~ taking the number of political parties represented by the family members to three.
While Churchill has joined the Trinamool Congress while brother Joaquim continues his association with the Congress. Churchill’s daughter Valanka is heading the Youth Congress organisation, while nephew and Joaquim’s son Yuri presides over the youth affairs of the Nationalist Congress Party. And, it is a sheer co-incidence that the Alemao siblings ~ Valanka and Yuri ~ head the youth wing of the Congress and the NCP.
Churchill’s decision to embrace the Trinamool Congress has the blessings of brothers Ciabro, Roosevelt and Kennedy, besides other family members and is unlikely to change the equations in the family. For, Joaquim has decided to stay put in the Congress as a party “loyal soldier”, while Yuri will support the Congress, notwithstanding uncle’s decision to contest the South Goa seat on the Trinamool Congress. And, if Churchill is to be believed, daughter Valanka need not quit the Congress and follow him in the new outfit, citing the case of Scindias. “There’s nothing wrong if my daughter or brother remains in the Congress. Aren’t members of the Scindia family associated with both the Congress the BJP”, he asked.
Says Joaquim Alemao: “In the past too, Churchill and myself were in two different parties. But, we share perfect harmony at home. I had contested on the Congress when Churchill floated the regional outfit, the Save Goa Front”. This ensuing election too, Joaquim will rally behind his Congress Party. Though he sympathises with Churchill, Joaquim will not share Churchill’s platform in support of his candidature.
Incidentally, Yuri too has decided not to toe the line of his uncle, whom he considers as the family Godfather. “The NCP and the Congress have decided to work together in Goa in the coming poll. I respect uncle Churchill. He is like our family Godfather, but at the same time, I will have to go by my party dictats”, remarked Yuri.
Says Roosevelt: “The strength of the Alemao family is our unity. We may have differences on many things, but unity binds us. We follow our elder brother Churchill. It is because of Churchill, that the Alemao family is today into politics. We all follow his decisions”.
Added Churchill: “Though we may be members of different political parties, we share a common bond. Politics have not divided our family. We don’t allow politics to divide us”.
And, he asserted that none of the members of the Alemao family have joined a communal party like the BJP, but have embraced parties, which are led by Congressmen of yesteryears, referring to NCP’s Sharad Pawar and TMC’s Mamata Banerjee, both of whom were part and parcel of the Congress before they parted ways.
