Team Herald
PANJIM: Goa Forward Party (GFP) President Vijai Sardesai on Saturday campaigned for the alliance candidate Deepak Kalangutkar in Junaswada in Mandrem.
They were accompanied by Congress leaders Narayan Redkar, Pradip Desai, Pranav Parab and Francis D’Souza and GFP leaders Dr Renuka da Silva and Sushant Ghodge.
Speaking to the media, Sardesai said, “We are ‘Team Goa’, a pre-poll alliance, of not just the Congress and GFP. Our senior partners in the alliance are Goa’s janata. This alliance is of all those who are serious about liberating Goa from the anti-people BJP government. That is why I call these elections the second Opinion Poll.”
“The CM has said that he will rebuild temples demolished by the Portuguese. How does he plan to do this? By bringing down churches built long back? He is actually sending a signal that, if the BJP comes back to power, they will destroy the communal harmony between Hindus, Christians and Muslims, which is true Goenkarponn. This is the irresponsible attitude of this accidental Chief Minister,” he said.
“I have always been for Team Goa. The GFP wanted more seats, definitely. But for the sake of Goa, we have sacrificed our party’s and personal interests. We are ready to do anything and everything to save Goa for our future generations,” he said.
On certain local leaders not backing the GFP candidate, Sardesai said, “Whoever is not with us is anti-Goa. Because the senior partners of this alliance are the people of Goa. This alliance is for ‘development by consent’. We will go ahead with development projects which the people of Goa want, and not those that yield the maximum ‘commission’. Those who want this will support this alliance, or else they will be exposed as traitors to the cause of Goa.”
Sardesai thanked the local Congress leaders for having stood by their promise to back Deepak Kalangutkar, who is a deserving candidate, having risen up from the grass-roots level, and who has pledged to rid Mandrem of the virus of dadagiri, extortion and other crimes promoted by those currently in power.
“In return I promise that in this New Year, a new government will come to power which will be led by a Congress Chief Minister. The GFP is not thinking about ministries and posts, which is the CM’s prerogative. Our focus right now is to send the BJP home. We have 3 candidates in the fray. We will win all 3 seats and together with the Congress will give Goa a stable and clean government,” he added.
