MARGAO: United Goans Democratic Party (UGDP) leader Radharao Gracias on Saturday called upon political leaders from Salcete, including Churchill Alemao, MLAs Reginaldo Lourenco and Vijai Sardesai to come under one platform to unitedly fight the next Assembly elections.
Speaking at a function held to felicitate Churchill Alemao for winning the mass leader of the country award, Radharao said the people of Goa are waiting for Churchill’s return to politics and to head the next government as the Chief Minister for five years. “In the 2012 Assembly poll, the BJP polled only 30 per cent of the votes and yet formed the government. We need to tap at least 50 per cent of the remaining 70 per cent of the votes to come to power. This is not a difficult task if people like Churchill, Vijai and Reginaldo come under one platform”, Radharao said amidst cheers from the audience.
On Churchill winning the mass leader of the country award, Radharao said that Churchill indeed deserves the award. “Churchill is indeed a mass leader. Even Parrikar is not a mass leader. Man makes mistakes and Churchill must have also made mistakes”, he said.
In his reply, Churchill said that he had bagged many awards in his life, but he was happy to bag the mass leader of the country award instituted by the human rights panel. “In my life, I have faced difficult situations right from a young age when I had to work in a hotel to eke out a living and support my family”, Churchill recalled.
Contrary to expectations that he would unveil his political future, Churchill restricted his speech to the award and the hard life that he underwent in his childhood. “People should not be jealous of others, but should work to receive awards. I forgive those who spoke against me for receiving the award”, he added.
Fr Ligorinho Da Costa, Sidhanath Buyao, Prince Jacob, Cyril Fernandes and others
also spoke. The felicitation function was followed by a musical programme.
