Herald: What is the backdrop against which the Chintan Shibir is being held?
Luizinho: There are a series of reasons. The party needed to review, renew, reinvent, reaffirm, reconsolidate and to do that we needed to re-introspect.
Herald: This kind of an exercise has not been done before. So how will it actually help?
Luizinho: After the 2012 Assembly elections we need to look at the current scenario and the options before the Congress in Goa. The Congress ideology has to be taught and frontal organisations have to be strengthened. Along with this crucial issues of Goa including the Tenancy Act, Evacuee Property Bill, etc need to be discussed. The Chitan Shibir will cover all that, with help from the Jawaharlal Nehru leadership institute.
Herald: But the Congress is completely short of leadership and leaders and you are part of the old brigade.
Luizinho: If I had to come back, it shows that we have failed to produce dynamic leadership in Goa. It is a painful situation. I had thought had we introduced some young leaders in the Congress like Girish Chodankar, Vishnu Wagh, Babu Kawalekar leadership could have emerged.
Herald: So how do you intend to build leadership now?
Luizinho: We have to promote and train young people. We have to build them up. Seniors have to understand that you have to groom and move away. Seniors have to create space for the new leadership to come in. To get to gold and jewels you have to dig a lot of dirt, and that has to be done. We also need to build young people who will not ask for party tickets.
It will be a tough ask as I was asked to come to Goa after we lost both elections. It will be tough ask.
Herald: What do you have to say on the issue of your St Cruz MLA Atanasio Babush Monserrate resigning from the Congress?
Luizinho: On the Babush’s decision all issues will be discussed and a response will be formulated.
