Herald: With the elections a few months away, the Congress needs to take key decisions. A lot of possibilities are there in the future. The whole issue of whether the opposition needs to be united or not has become fundamental to the future of 2017. Several questions have been asked and probably answered from time to time, but not comprehensively. Our guest is GPCC president Luizinho Faleiro.
Herald: Where does the Congress stand now from the point of view of what it was when you took over?
Luizinho Faleiro: I must confess, I was requested to go to Goa on a mission by Sonia Gandhi. I was aware that it was a task which I had to fulfill. The situation was pathetic. The Congress organization was in the doldrums. I’m happy that the Congressmen have realised that they have to strengthen the party, consolidate it, and be a strong organisation to face the 2017 Assembly election.
Herald: Now it is not about what the Congress was then. It is about what the Congress is going to do in the next six months to ensure that it comes back strongly. It is clear that the legislature party is an absolute failure. There is no opposition to speak of. We had other non-Congress opposition voices who made a lot more noise and impact in the Assembly. Has that now forced you to admit that the Congress needs allies to get onto the battlefield?
Faleiro: I am aware that the Congress legislature was very weak. Therefore, I approached some leaders who were in the opposition to come together as an opposition alliance of democratic forces. I tried my best. I feel that if you’re going to fight the elections, all the forces must come together. But at what cost? The organisation? That has to be decided.
Herald: What are your apprehensions of everybody coming together? The general feeling is that you are against any kind of alliance and you want the Congress to go at it alone for the sake of the party.
Faleiro: When I came to Goa on October 16, 2014, I took the initiative to approach the MLAs who were vocal in the Assembly, like Vijai Sardesai. I said let us form an alliance and you be the deputy leader of the opposition. I went to Sonia Gandhi and got it approved also. If I was against any alliance, I would not have gone out of the way to approach him. I said let us form an opposition alliance in the Assembly. I am painstakingly aware that we were weak and we are weak even today. Even though our number was nine, the number is five or six now. It has been quite a challenge to see that we perform as a joint opposition of secular forces. After I got the approval, he (Sardesai) said he did not have any Congress blood and he had only independent blood. I am aware that we have to form an alliance with certain forces at the time of elections and we are going to take stock of the situation at the appropriate time and Sonia Gandhi would like to take a call.
Herald: When you say that you need to take stock and there need to be certain forces, are we very clear that the NCP and the Goa Forward are a part of those forces who may come into contention?
Faleiro: Definitely, we will have to take stock of the situation. I can’t mention at this moment, but we are talking with certain people. We will take a decision.
Herald: Coming to the work that you’ve done in the organisation. We’ve come to a stage where the Congress has set up block committees everywhere, including Fatorda, which every party has a right to do. Apart of setting up block committees, you’ve also handpicked certain people who could be in contention and some people have been promised Congress tickets to fight the election. What will happen in a situation where if there is some kind of alliance with some other party, and they stake a claim or show an interest in fighting in those areas? Won’t that conflict derail any possibility of an alliance? Or will a larger picture of a united front against the BJP should over-score all other apprehension?
Faleiro: When I came here, I said I don’t have a magic wand, but I have a magic formula: unity, discipline, consolidation and strengthening of the organization. My first task was to build that districts that were dissolved, build all 40 blocks, and build the frontal organisations. At the national cell we have hardly four or five cells, but in Goa, we have formed around 16 cells. The first task was to put the organization in order. We formed district committees, block committees, the booth committees, the frontal organsations and the cells. The second question that you asked is a very important question. This country is young. Goa is young. Around 60-65 percent of this population is below the age of 35. It is the popular aspiration of the people of Goa that we must put young and new faces. I had asked to keep at least 50 percent new faces in the coming elections. We had to promote the faces and bring them in the organisation and different committees. We had to bring them at the block level. When I took over, people were not ready to come and join the Congress. But today the situation is different. In every country we have four or five contestants who want a ticket. This is a very happy situation. Naturally, we will have to see what are the popular aspirations of the people of Goa. Since they are expecting new faces, we must and see that these new faces that we brought are given all the support by the party.
Herald: What about the old faces, like Ravi Naik, Babu Azgaonkar, and Jitendra Deshprabhu? What is the role of these leaders? Will they get tickets?
Faleiro: Ideally, we would like to have at least 50 percent new faces, but you can have a mix of both. When I came, I said please don’t look at me as competition. I am not come with a personal agenda. My agenda is the party. I said we as seniors must learn to mentor, guide, and if necessary, step aside so that new faces take over. I will not talk on behalf of other leaders, but I can talk on my behalf. For the last one year and four months, my mission was to build and organise the party, and once the party was in order, to step aside so that w can mentor and guide.
Herald: Do you feel that you can look at people eye-to-eye and with a great degree of seriousness ask them to give you a chance and assure that there will be clean and new faces. Don’t you feel that kind of a pitch will give you more strength than to have 50 percent of old faces?
Faleiro: I did it. I took over on October 16, 2014. In November, I had an introspection at Goa International Centre. We sat there for two or three days, had an inspection and tried to find out why Congress lost so miserably in the last Assembly elections and the Parliamentary elections. Even though I was in Delhi for the last eight years, I apologised to the people of Goa. We have done wrong. Our government was not working as per the expectations of the people and accordingly we have prepared an action plan for the Congress. For the last year I have been trying to implement the action plan which we worked out during that intervention. We brought a declaration, which was known as the Dona Paula declaration. We also prepared a charge-sheet against the government. They have got seven-star U-turns, five-star U-turns, three-star U-turns, empty promises and the total failure of the BJP government. We have introspected. I feel that when we go to the people, we have to go with clean hands. People will accept us this time.
Herald: If that is the case, do you have any compulsions to give 90 percent fresh faces? What is the compulsion in saying that people who have done more than two terms will not get a ticket? Is there a compulsion or do you feel the ground still has to be tested?
Faleiro: On one hand, it is the popular aspiration of the people of Goa that the Congress must field new faces. But you will agree with me that to build young leadership overnight is not possible. To build young leadership that will win the elections is very difficult. You cannot say you will field 90 percent new faces because it will be very difficult.
Herald: Are you definitely not contesting the next election? Are you in a position to say that? Or will you say that if the party desires and makes you contest, you will do so? What is your decision with regards to you contesting?
Faleiro: When I was in Delhi, I was the General Secretary in charge of seven states, where I had brought Congress governments. I had five Chief Ministers reporting to me. From that level, when the Congress president told me that Congress in Goa was going through bad times and to please help them, I took over. I told her that I would be able to put the party in order within six months. I took over in October. I thought that by April 2015 I should be able to put the party in order. In fact, I told Sonia Gandhi that six months had passed and to look for a successor. It is exactly on October 16, 2015, I went to the Congress president and said I would like to resign. I asked her to appoint a new face so that he gets a reasonable time as president of the Goa Congress to work out the strategy for the 2017 election. The Congress president told me to continue. When I took over, I had a public meeting in Panjim. At that meeting, I said please don’t take me as competition. I am here to build a part an an organisation. My agenda is not a private or persona agenda. My agenda is purely the party agenda. I have worked at the State-level, national-level, and by the grace of Goa, I had success at the national-level. I definitely did not want to come back to Goa, but because the party was not doing well, and because the Congress president asked me to take over, I took it over. At every stage when we had an intervention, I said I would not contest the elections. I am only here as a caretaker. I have helped as chairman of the screening committee in Karnataka, where we were victorious. I have helped two assembly elections in Arunachal Pradesh, where I got 47 out of 60 seats. I have helped in Mizoram and Meghalaya for two elections, and all the time we were successful. If any assignment is given to me to help the party at the state-level or whatever level, I will not shy away because I feel it is my duty to support, help and mentor the organization in whatever capacity the Congress president feels.
Herald: Coming to the issue of ‘Gathbandhan’ and ‘Mahagathbandhan’. What is interesting is that these are hardcore Hindi terms which have become a part of the political lexicon in Goa. People have interpreted these terms in many ways. There was a time when the Congress in Goa felt that a gathbandhan would be better if there was a merger and everyone fights under the Congress. That was one school of thought. The other school of thought is to say that if people don’t want to merge, let there be a proper alliance and there can be seat-sharing. Digvijay Singh had said that the entire fight has to be under the Congress banner and people can join and support. If there a final thought on what will be the definition of this gathbandhan?
Faleiro: Politics is always dynamic, not static. My primary task was to build the organisation. But there is a wrong notion that I am personally against a Mahagathbandhan. That is wrong. It was me who had approached who had approached some leaders who were occupying a good position in the opposition to come forward and form a democratic opposition alliance. I took over in October and approached the min 15 days. I said let us have an opposition coalition. I told Vijai Sardesai that I would talk to the Congress president. I could not put him as the leader of opposition because we have Mr Pratapsingh Rane there. As a deputy leader of opposition, I got it cleared from Mrs Gandhi and spoke to Digvijay and Mr Rane. You cannot clap with one hand. Mind you, as far as Fatorda is concerned and other constituencies where we had some leaders who were occupying opposition roles, I did not even form the blocks, which I have done now because I had no alternative. Now the blocks will also have a say om who gets a ticket and the Congress president Sonia Gandhi always goes by the recommendations of the blocks. That is the reason I had not formed the blocks earlier.
Herald: There is a lot of ‘tu-tu-main-main’ that has happened between the anti-BJP forces. A lot of people feel that it is a sheer invitation for the BJP to come to power. If the anti-BJP forces do not come together, then it is almost like giving the BJP a chance to form another government.
Faleiro: I think the people of Goa, and to some extent the people of this country, are aware of what is happening to the country and state. The total economic meltdown in Goa is affecting every Goan. In the mining sector, mining had been stopped for the last four years. That means around 22,000 trucks are rusting. Barges and machinery are rusting. In the shipyards there is lot of retrenchment. Around 1 lakh people are affected directly and indirectly. Tourism is at its lowest. The shack owners and hotel owners are crying. To add to this problem is the taxation of the government of Goa. Goa has become not only a very expensive destination in the country, but also in the world. Overall, people are suffering. That feeling of removing the Congress and putting the BJP in power is gone. People have realised the mistake they have made. The BJP had given so many promises that they will give special status for Goa, they will change the regional plan, stop casinos. See what is happening in the casinos. It is affecting Goans. Many people think that casinos mean people from outside. Today 90 percent of people playing in the casinos are Goans. It is creating havoc. Goa is not identified as a ‘sin city’ or ‘sin capital of India’. Gambling, drugs, prostitution. It is alarming. What is more alarming is that on an average, 10 Goans are surrendering Indian citizenship and taking Portuguese citizenship and leaving Goa. This is frightening. Who lives in Goa if Goans are not there?
Herald: Do you think the BJP is also fishing in troubled waters and ensuring that a divide is created so that votes are split? The BJP doesn’t look to be an innocent bystander in all this. If we look at what happened in Panjim during the CCP polls, don’t you think the BJP is working behind the scenes to see that this split actually happens?
Faleiro: You cannot have Panjim elections as a yardstick. After the 73rd and 74th Amendment was brought in by Rajiv Gandhi, we in Goa had taken a decision that the Congress must not take direct part in panchayat elections. We said that the party would not take a direct role, but if anybody in the party wants to support any group or candidate, they can do so. The Panjim CCP election loss is not a party loss. That is not an issue at all. You said that the opposition forces must come together. It is the need of the hour and we cannot be arrogant. We have to be realistic. We cannot say ‘I’. We have to say ‘We’. I cannot say that a Mahagathbandhan should not be there. It must be there. Some forces will have to compromise. It is a give and take. If I want all the seats, young people will be left high and dry. Finally, it should come as a decision of the opposition forces that we are going to come together and fight the BJP. That is possible only when we come together.
