‘Goa unit cruel parody of Cong’: EX-CM quits party, may join TMC
PANAJI: Former Goa chief minister Luizinho Faleiro on Monday resigned as member of Goa legislative assembly and from the primary membership of the Congress, alleging that the party had become a “cruel parody of what the Congress stands for”.
Speculations are rife that Faleiro, who was recently made the Goa Congress’s campaign committee chief for the state polls next year, is likely to join the Trinamool Congress (TMC) soon. He is also expected to travel to Kolkata on Tuesday.
In his resignation letter to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, the Congress leader claimed that the Goa unit of the party is led by a “coterie” of leaders whose priority is personal gains.
“Madam, the Congress in Goa is not the same party for which we had sacrificed and fought. It is functioning contrary to every ideal and principle of its founding fathers upheld by Smt Indiraji, Shri Raviji and you,” he wrote.
“Shri Rahul Gandhi too has been uncompromising in his fight against the forces that seek to destroy the fabric of our nation. However, the Goa unit of the party has become a cruel parody of what the Congress stands for. Led by a coterie of leaders who prioritize personal gains over the responsibility we owe to our people... I see absolutely no hope or even the will to prevent the collapse of the party and the change for the better,” he added.
The MLA from Navelim assembly seat handed over a terse resignation letter to Speaker Rajesh Patnekar shortly after noon.
Minutes before resigning, Faleiro heaped praises on West Bengal chief minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, saying the country needs a leader like her to take on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“I have been a Congressman for 40 years and I will continue to be a Congressman of the Congress family. Among all the four Congresses, it is Mamata Banerjee who has given a tough fight to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and their juggernaut… the Mamata formula has won. We need such fighters,” he told reporters.
With his resignation, the Congress’s strength in the 40-member Goa assembly has been reduced to four.
Congress Goa incharge Dinesh Gundu Rao said: “This could be a voluntary retiring scheme. I was not convinced by anything he was saying. It was only very pure I would say.”