Benaulim constituents, please don’t vote for a party hopper and jail-bird to represent you in the Legislative Assembly – By Nisser Dias.

As dark as Belgium chocolate

1989 --      Churchill Alemao was elected as the Congress candidate.

1990 --       Churchill Alemao splits the Congress to form the Progressive  Democratic Front government in coalition with the Maharashtrawadi     Gomantak Party. Becomes the Chief Minister for 19 days. It is during PDF   government grants to English medium schools were stopped.

1994 --       Churchill Alemao was elected to the Legislative Assembly as the UGDP         candidate. Same year he is arrested for his involvement in gold smuggling       case.

1996 –       Churchill defeats Congress candidate to the Lok Sabha Eduardo Faleiro.

Family Raj begins

 1996 –       Churchill fields his brother Joaquim Alemao in the bye-election of       Benaulim constituency as the UGDP candidate against Congress         candidate and wins.

1999 --       Churchill Alemao wins Assembly elections on Congress ticket. Is         rewarded with the Industries and Tourism ministries.

Beginning of family raj

2002 –       Churchill is sent home by the voters of Benaulim by electing Mickky                Pacheco.

2004 –       Churchill is elected as Member of Parliament on Congress ticket. In a             sting operation conducted then, he is caught on camera purportedly

                   demanding a bribe to take up a project under the MPLAD scheme.

2007 –       Churchill is denied Congress ticket to contest Assembly election. He   resigns from the party and forms Save Goa Front and contests Navelim         constituency and defeats Luizinho Faleiro. Digambar Kamat Congress led     government refuses his support for the government. Attempts a coup to                    topple Kamat and is inducted in the cabinet as PWD minister.



Arrested in the Louis Berger
bribery scam

2012 –       Churchill and his 2 family members contest Assembly elections on      Congress tickets while 1of them contests on NCP ticket. All are defeated.       Churchill       Alemao loses to new entrant Avertano Furtado.

2014 --       Churchill resigns from Congress and contests Parliamentary elections on      Trinamool Congress ticket and is again defeated.

2015 --       Churchill Alemao is arrested for his involvement in the Louis Berger    International bribery scam and released in October the same year.

2016 –       Churchill joins Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) to fight the 2017        Assembly election.

Will the Congress allot party tickets to new faces in Goa? -- By Nisser Dias

All might not be well in the BJP party with the MGP refusing an alliance, Goa Bhartiya Bhasha Suraksha Manch Subhash Velingkar not missing an opportunity to hit out at BJP leaders et al.

Dhon papel

But the picture is not much different if not worse for the Congress as there is lot of rambling of discontentment among many of its party block president. At a meeting held last Tuesday, source informed some presidents who are also aspirants for tickets have told their GPCC president in the presence of AICC observer that they are not going to bear any more expenses to highlight or create awareness of the mis-governance and misgiving of the BJP government. Some of the presidents especially the aspirants disclosed they have spent substantial amounts for the recently concluded ‘Jan Jagruti Padyatra’ which passed through all the constituencies and they cannot afford to exhaust their resources if the party tickets are given to old faces or candidates of other parties incase of an alliance.

After attaining power

One of the block presidents who is also an aspirant confirmed that discussion on the subject were held on Dec. 17. We put forth our concerns during the meeting, “we informed the GPCC president and AICC observer that it is high time the party recognizes us, understands our dedication and loyalty and rewards us. We cannot always be second rung leaders, today our time has come especially when the party lost miserably during 2012 election because same old faces were provided with party tickets and they were defeated.” “Congress Party should understand the voters are looking out for new faces to lead the party in Goa today”.

The 'Kolo'

Congress block presidents also took offence to AICC observer incharge of Goa Desk Chella Kumar utterance of they have no role to play now regarding candidate selection as the central committee has taken over now.

Nisser Dias

Another block president said giving recognition is one thing and party negotiating with another party candidate is another. He said in his block, the constituency was of the Congress but now the office bearers of the Congress party are negotiating with a person who used to party for his benefits. The block president goes on to state that during the last Parliamentary election, Congress got a lead of 5000 votes from this assembly segment which is an indication that this assembly constituency has major chuck of party voters but the officers bearers are dilly-dally with the ticket which should rightfully be of the Congress and not of the candidate of an alliance partner.

Yet there are some other block presidents who say that the party is bigger than the block presidents and even if the tickets are allotted to persons not of their choice they will work for the party but a mechanism is being put in place to give maximum numbers tickets to congress loyalists.

Perfect communal harmony in Goa -- By Nisser Dias

For times in memorial people of different communities have lived in perfect communal harmony in Goa. Goans are also known to partake in celebration of various feasts and festival of each other’s communities. Christians visit and share with their Hindu brethren during Ganesh festival or Diwali, Hindus reciprocate during Christmas, Muslims always make it a point to share their delicacies with Hindu and Christian brethren during Id and Ramzan. This has been Goan tradition and culture.

But over the years there has been marked polarization of communities on political party lines. Nonetheless these lines tend to disappear on various occasion where people of various communities forgetting their religion come together as human beings to create joy that people so deeply cherish.

One such example is a creation of a crib at Mungul on the road to Colva from Margao Old Market circle wherein youth from various faiths come  together to celebrate and depict the birth of Christ. They unveil their creation every year on Christmas day for the general public to view and it lasts till the feast of Epiphany (January 6^th).

Again, the beauty of it is that people from all communities make it a point to come from far and wide to spend some moments to view the crib.

Former Chairperson of Margao Municipal Council Gonzac Rebello is the force behind this group who call themselves ‘Crib boyz of Mungul’.Carmo Dourado, Francis Fernandes, Jess Barreto, Suresh Chawla, Deepak, Krishna, Mohammad, Anthony, Milton Sunil and Shiva come together every year to showcase their art and talent at the same very place for the last six years.

Speaking to TOI, Carmo reminisced that they were talking of preparing crib at home when one of them casually suggested the present site to prepare the crib and it was a huge success and from then on there is no looking back. “Every year we create new items, what encourages us is the public response who frequent every year to have a look and we are conscious that they should not return disappointed seeing the same items or ideas”.

Gonzac informed that they generate funds locally from villagers and business establishments as well as they dig into their own pockets but major chuck comes from well wishers. He said that this year the cost has shot beyond Rs. 2 lakhs as materials like iron, plywood, cloth, thermacol and paints are used to set-up the crib.

He said that they pond is natural water body which they clean every year before setting-up the crib.

The fact that the pond is adjoining the wall of Our Lady of Bom Viagem chapel adds to the sanctity of the crib.

He said that for four years Michael Fernandes – chairman of Goa Citizens Welfare Trust has contributed and for two years Fatorda MLA Vijay Sardessai financed setting-up of the crib.

About the contribution box placed at the site, he smilingly says it is not much and sometimes they also forget to keep the box outside in the evening. “For us it is not about collecting money but about the general public taking memories of the crib with them.

Gonzac is elated by the fact that Goans from Bombay, London who come to celebrate Christmas in Goa make it a point to visit the crib every year and also meet us. Foreigners too, come and take pictures.

Thousands of people flock to have a glimpse of this crib and many a times it is causes of traffic jam, however it is taken in good spirit and there are no flared tempers which is an indication that there is huge scope of bonding between people which ever communities they may come from.