I was not allowed to form govt: Luizinho

NAVELIM: Former Goa Pradesh Congress Committee president and Navelim MLA Luizinho Faleiro Tuesday accused former general secretary of the party in-charge of Goa desk Digvijay Singh of not allowing the Congress party to form state government in 2017.

Speaking to reporters in Navelim, Faleiro, opening up on the incidents of 2017 when the Congress party was outwitted by the BJP to form the state government despite Congress being the single largest party, said the Congress party missed a good chance to form government. He said while the party leadership had assured that Congress would form the government within 24 hours then, two years down the line the party has been unable to form the government.

Recounting the events, Faleiro said the letter to stake claim to form the government was ready with him to be handed over to the Governor. The former party president said that he was elected leader of the Congress legislative party (CLP), however, he was stopped by Singh, who, he said, stated that the Congress being the single largest party, it would be invited by the Governor to form the government.

Faleiro said that he had informed the party leadership that the Governor would not call the Congress party “as the Governor was working as an agent of the BJP here.” He said that he refused to accept the posts of the leader of the CLP and leader of opposition in protest over the failure of the party to form the state government.

He said he also requested the party high command to accept his resignation as the president of the party, as the Congress missed a golden opportunity to form government because of Singh. “They had then promised to form the government within 24 hours but now it is 24 months and I have not interfered. As a Congressman, I have concentrated on the development of my constituency despite knowing that this government is going through an economic crisis,” Faleiro said.

Responding to a question on whether he is likely to contest the upcoming parliamentary elections, he said while many of his supporters have expressed their desire that he should contest, he has not applied or requested for party ticket. He said he has neither applied for the same at the district level or at the pradesh level or at the screening committee level. “I am not interested and I have enough work. I am concentrating on the job assigned to me to oversee the Northeastern states,” he said.