Dear all,
Vishnu Wagh’s comments in Herald dtd 21 March, a day after UGDP announced the candidature of Matanhy Saldanha for the South Goa constituency, are clear signs of panic and tremor in the Congress camp. He has termed Matanhy as a friend of Parrikar; as if to say, Congressmen are not when it suits them . It is better said in politics, there are no permanent enemies nor friends. If UGDP is a “Posorkarachem dukhan” according to Vishnu Wagh, then Congress Party must be ‘Kolvontacho Khell’ . The fact is, previously elected UGDP MLAs, were bribed by the Congress Party with plumb ministerial post for their support, however, in the case of Matanhy they tried hard but could not, so they orchestrated the disqualification under the then Speaker Sardinha, only to be stayed by the High Court. Congressmen can desert the party during election time if denied a ticket and return to the party after winning election, and this they term as ‘homecoming.’ If a BJP man switches to Congress, he becomes ‘ secular’, and those who support BJP, are branded ‘communal’, Wah re wah ! What achievement can the Congress boast of, when, on every major issue people have to march to Azad Maidan or take the Government to Court. What kind of governance is there, when people in every village are agitating against anti Goan policies? Congress Party is known to have institutionalised corruption in the country and Goa is among the most corrupt states. Arwin Mesquita has rightly said: No other Party has done more damage to Goa than the ‘secular’ Congress Party. Matanhy’s stature and popularity among the masses, especially in the coastal belt is unparalleled. His campaign for special status for Goa deserves merit and makes him the favourite to win the South Goa seat in the coming election. Mog Assom, Geraldo Oliveira
