Team Goemkarponn
CALANGUTE: The Goa Pradesh Congress Committee’s Goy Rakhonn Yatra received a strong response in Calangute on Sunday, with party leaders reiterating that Congress would not readmit leaders who had left the party after being elected on its ticket.
Addressing the gathering, AICC Goa Desk In-charge Manikrao Thakare said Congress would remain committed to its secular and inclusive ideology and would not compromise on its core principles.
On the issue of defections, Thakare said voters have the democratic right to question elected representatives who seek their mandate on one party’s ticket and subsequently change political allegiance. He also expressed confidence in the leadership of Rahul Gandhi.
GPCC President Girish Chodankar criticised the 2022 defection of eight Congress MLAs to the BJP and specifically referred to Calangute MLA Michael Lobo. The eight legislators who moved to the BJP in September 2022 were Michael Lobo, Delilah Lobo, Digambar Kamat, Sankalp Amonkar, Aleixo Sequeira, Rudolf Fernandes, Rajesh Faldessai and Kedar Naik. Contemporary reports confirm the move.
Chodankar said Congress had continued to oppose what he described as the politics of defection and called upon voters to hold elected representatives accountable.
Recalling Goa’s historic Opinion Poll movement, Chodankar said Calangute had played an important role in protecting the state’s distinct identity and claimed that the constituency could once again play a role in democratic mobilisation.
He also made allegations regarding activities along the coastal belt, including alleged extortion and political patronage. These claims were made during his address and were not independently established in the information provided.
Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao raised concerns over what he described as the drug menace, prostitution-related activities and alleged illegalities in the Calangute-Siolim coastal belt.
Alemao also criticised the functioning of the local political leadership and called for greater accountability in governance. He said tourism development should generate opportunities for Goans while protecting the state’s identity, environment, public safety and livelihoods.
The Leader of Opposition also highlighted the long-pending concerns of local taxi operators and called for a transparent system to address their livelihood-related issues.
Congress leaders at the programme reiterated that the party would not welcome back those who had left Congress after contesting elections on its ticket. The party said voters should have an opportunity to question representatives who change political allegiance after elections.
The Goy Rakhonn Yatra is scheduled to travel across all 40 Assembly constituencies between September 22 and October 18, focusing on issues including Goa’s land, identity, environment, heritage and future generations. The campaign’s official schedule lists Calangute for September 27.
The Calangute programme was attended by several Congress leaders and functionaries, including AICC Goa Desk co-in-charge Dr Anjali Nimbalkar, Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao, Quepem MLA Altone D’Costa, former Calangute MLA Tomazinho Cardozo, MP Captain Viriato Fernandes, Working President Sunil Kawthankar and other state and constituency-level leaders.
Congress workers also burnt effigies representing the eight MLAs who moved from Congress to the BJP in 2022.
The Calangute leg of the yatra concluded with a cultural programme. Pratiksha Khalap compered the programme, while Carmelina Fernandes proposed the vote of thanks.
