Goa minister Churchill Alemao blames CM for his defeat

Panaji, Mar 8: In the wake of humiliating defeat in the assembly election in Goa, the Congress leaders here have started the blame game with outgoing public works department minister Churchill Alemao stating that the Chief Minister Digambar Kamat had worked against him.

"Kamat had worked against me. He is one of the reasons why I was defeated," said Alemao, who along with three of his family members lost in the March 3 polls.

Alemao also claimed that rigging of Electronic Voting Machines and Catholic priests appealing people to vote against Congress were the reasons for his defeat. "Almost 80 per cent of Catholic priests worked against Congress. They worked for BJP," Churchill said yesterday.

Alemao who contested from Navelim, his brother and urban development minister Joaquim Alemao(Cuncolim), his daughter Valanka (Benaulim)and nephew Yuri Sanguem) lost the elections.

Outgoing Chief Minister Digambar Kamat, who has come in line of fire following the defeat, said that things would have been different if the party were to fight elections under his leadership.

"Party did not project me as CM. People might have thought that I was being sidelined," he said while pointing out that Congress had not lost a single election fought in Goa during the last five years, under his leadership.

Vishwajit Rane, outgoing health minister, who along with his father Pratapsingh Rane got elected, said that the leaders should take collective responsibility for the defeat.
"It was the responsibility of individual candidates to ensure that they win in their own constituencies," he said vaguely referring to Alemao’s statement.

Meanwhile, the Congress party has decided to introspect and formed a committee for the purpose.

"We will form a committee that will go into all the aspects," said P Sudhakar Reddy, Secretary, All India Congress Committee.

Reddy, who is down in Goa holding discussion with the party leaders, said that he would make a constituency-wise report.

He also ruled out that defeat was because the party had given tickets to many family members of the leaders.

"Out of five families, three of them have got elected," Reddy pointed out.

PTI