Former Goa CM joins TMC, Mamata says 'will fight divisive forces together'
KOLKATA: Trinamool Congress (TMC) chairperson Mamata Banerjee welcomed former Chief Minister of Goa Luizinho Falerio, who joined Trinamool along with nine others on Wednesday and assured people in Goa that her party would fight against the divisive forces and work to break a new dawn for the state.
Falerio, along with his compatriots met Banerjee at Nabanna. Abhishek Banerjee, party's national general secretary, was also present during the meeting. Trinamool Congress chairperson, Mamata Banerjee, tweeted: "It's a matter of great pride for me to welcome Former Goa CM, 7-time MLA and stalwart Goan leader Shri @luizinhofaleiro to the Trinamool Congress family. Together we will stand up for every Goan, fight divisive forces and work towards ushering in a NEW DAWN for Goa."
"I am also pleased to welcome Former MLA from MGP Shri Lavoo Mamledar, Congress General Secretaries Yatish Naik & Vijay Poi and Congress Secretaries Mario Pinto De Santana & Anand Naik to the party," she tweeted.
She further tweeted: "Along with them, Sahitya Akademi Award winner and famous poet Shivdas Sonu Naik, South Goa Advocates Association President Antonio Monteiro Clovis Da Costa & Shri Rajendra Shivaji Kakodkar are also joining Trinamool Congress today. I welcome all of them to our family!" Later, Abhishek Banerjee handed over the party flags to them and put 'uttariya' around their neck as a mark of respect at the function at Kshudiram Aushilan Kendra.
TMC all-India general secretary said he would go to Goa after the Pujas and categorically said his party would fight alone in Goa when asked whether there was any possibility with electoral understanding with the Aam Admi Party. After taking over as the national general secretary, Abhishek had said TMC would expand its footprints to other states to fight against the misrule of BJP.
Asked to comment on the "greater Congress family" as mentioned by Falerio, Banerjee said: "Congress should come on to the street without making its presence only felt on social media." Addressing a press conference, Falerio said the BJP would be ousted in Goa in 2022. He said the people had felt betrayed after the BJP was allowed to form the government though Congress had more MLAs. "Congress had 17 seats and BJP had 13. So, I decided to move to the Governor requesting him to allow us to form the government. But the high command did not allow it and the BJP set up the government with fewer MLAs. People could not digest it," he maintained.
He said there is mounting unemployment in Goa. The diverse culture has been badly hit under the BJP. "BJP is spreading the culture of intolerance, vengeance and hatred," he remarked. Saugata Roy, TMC Lok Sabha MP said Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, Derek O' Brien both Rajya Sabha MPs, Prasun Banerjee, Lok Sabha MP and Manoj Tewari MLA had been camping in Goa and more people from Congress would join Trinamool Congress on Thursday.
