MARGAO: GPCC president Luizinho Faleiro has taken a hardline on not having any alliances with any party or force paving the way for an undesirable split Opposition. He claims that he was waiting for independent MLAs like Naresh Sawal and Vijai Sardesai to come within the larger ambit of the Congress, but they closed the door on him. Excerpts from the freewheeling interview
Herald: Does Digvijay’s statement of no alliance and going alone, close the door on an alliance?
Luizinho Faleiro: Who can the GPCC have an alliance with? The GVP campaigned for the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections and is an alliance partner with the government and even had a minister until recently, the independents are part of this government and have pledged support to the government, and the MGP has two ministers in this government and has a seat sharing formula with the BJP. Can I have any alliance with any of them? Obviously not. There are smaller parties who have no MLAs and hence, I cannot consider them while fielding candidates in 40 constituencies.
Herald: What about Fatorda, you have an Opposition independent MLA but you have a cold war with him since 2012?
LF: I have met all the Independents and asked them to come together as a loud Opposition. I have met Naresh Sawal, Rohan Khaunte and Vijai Sardesai multiple times but after they agreed for a principal Opposition and to be secular partners with the Congress, this announcement of a regional party came up. I promised to make Vijai, the Opposition Leader and he himself has been in touch with the Congress High Command and we knew his constraints as an Independent MLA. We kept Fatorda open for him to join after the tenure but he and Naresh, similarly in Bicholim, closed the doors on us and hence, we’ve moved on and got strong faces in both these areas and building the party symbol.
In Fatorda, the current MLA doesn’t even acknowledge the alliance with our former Chief Minister Digambar Kamat in the municipal polls, which helped him get good results in Fatorda too but he only boasts of Fatorda Forward.
Herald: So is the old guard out? The negative response to the picture of “old guard” leaders on the dais during your Nov 14 rally at Lohia Maidan clearly indicated that their time is over.
LF: I was asked why were the Congress veterans put in the front seat and the younger faces including MLAs in the back seat. I told them, we have to respect our elders and just can’t discard them. We sent a message by taking that Oath of Tolerance at Lohia Maidan. I respect the old guard and took all of them into confidence. Most of them were at my October 2014 meeting when I took over. But most of the old faces want to keep it for the last minute to prepare and contest which I don’t believe in. I have started re-organising blocks and booth level committees and rebuilding the Congress party. In the 2012 polls, people didn’t vote for the BJP but voted against the Congress because they were fed up. I am starting from scratch and rebuilding this party. Congress needs new faces in the party to revamp itself for 2017.
Herald: What is the GPCC goal for 2017 as your party begins to make ground?
LF: I need to keep everyone in the party united. We’re a mass base party and not a cadre based party like the BJP. I am getting my office bearers in place, the Congress is studying the financial meltdown, the highest per capita loans in Goa, the thousands affected by mining, the culture of vengeance and all this is work of the Parrikar – Parsekar governments. The GPCC needs to send a message and find solution to these problems, while we have good candidates ready and that’s my focus.
Herald: Where will you contest from?
LF: I continue to insist that I came here and agreed to be GPCC president on the request of Sonia Gandhi only because she requested me multiple times and I agreed to rebuild this party. I have no personal interest here and will not plunge back into politics. Today, MLAs are looked upon as scoundrels, thieves, rogues and manipulators. My time as an MLA had an aura and I want to restore that aura in governance and hence I returned to Goa. I don’t have MLA aspirations.
