PANJIM: Former St Cruz MLA and TMC leader Victor Gonsalves on Saturday accused Congress ticket aspirant Rudolf Fernandes of destroying fields and disturbing the peace of the constituency.
Gonsalves also slammed the Congress party for giving ticket to Rudolf to contest THE February 14 Assembly polls when he was detained under National Security Act (NSA) in the past.
“I was a senior Congress member but was not considered for the ticket. They gave the ticket to Rudolf, who was arrested under NSA and also facing other criminal cases. That itself should have made Congress party not to issue a ticket to him (Rudolf),” said Gonsalves.
Alleging that Rudolf had created unrest in the constituency, Gonsalves said, “When I became MLA and I brought peace. People gained confidence and started buying plots and flats and living in the village”.
Gonsalves further said that during the tenure of Victoria Fernandes, Rudolf was running the show and taking decisions. But nothing concrete took place because he had no development plans. St Cruz constituency remained backward,” he said adding, “People of St Cruz want me now that I should come forward and do what has not happened for so many years. What I did during my five years term has only remained. People of St Cruz want peace.”
The former MLA charged that sluice gates at St Cruz, Merces and Chimbel have been destroyed for pisciculture, and agriculture fields have also been destroyed due to saline water entering through damaged sluice gates. Fields have now become uncultivable, said Gonsalves holding Rudolf responsible for the damages caused to farmers.
Gonsalves quit Congress and joined Goa Trinamool Congress Party (TMC) last week.
