“PADREAK NIB VONNACHEM”, says one Konkani proverb and this is what has happened to both the rejected heavyweight Congressmen Churchill Alemao and Francisco Sardinha, the former revolted when his demands were rejected. Both are ageing and as such they should both retire from active politics taking cue of what George Bernard Shaw has said , that is, “a man after 40 is a rascal and unable to think properly”.
I fail to digest the logic of Sardinha to remain in the Parliament till eternity, he should accept the fact that after completing a long inning as MP he should accept the verdict of his party and go out gracefully instead of resisting and defying the party. As a party member he should abide by the party decision. In fact he should be thankful to Congress Party for retaining him till now otherwise he should have been suspended from Congress when he was involved in the Marks scandal for his Subrinha and debarred from the Party when as a traitor he revolted and joined hands with Parrikar’s BJP to form his own government. Now, clandestinely he pushed his son to contest the election to split the votes but his son beyond his own house compound wall is an unknown entity having only nuisance value. Without father's blessing son would never go ahead in contesting election to split the Congress votes. Congress Party without any delay should throw out Sardinha from the Congress otherwise from inside he will do more harm to Congress than from outside.
After the forcible annexation of Goa by Bharat, Dr. Gaitontde and Dr. Antonio Colaco were sent to the Parliament as nominated MP’s. Immediately, Freedom Fighter Roque Santan Fernandes organized a Hunger Strike against the nomination of Dr. Colaco accusing him of Chmcha of Portuguese government. Immediately Premier Nehru sent for Fernandes and when he met Nehru in Delhi, according to one source, Nehru told him “you deserve only one Seat but I gave you two and for these only two Seats you are making such a big nuisance?”
Both the two Parliamentary Seats of Goa are like a drop in the ocean but ironically because of both these two Seats whole of Goa is shaking as if 200 Seats are at stake. Both the MP’s are incapable of creating an extra ordinary impact in the Parliament as in the past; they will only enjoy the financial benefits, doles and other facilities for themselves and for their families. Very few people know how and where Sardinha and other MP's have spent the money allotted to them as MP's by the Central government.
Both the rejected persons are giving silly excuses accusing Congress High Command because they cannot accept to be nobody after enjoying the status of somebody. Both the Congressmen want to foist their kiddy children like many others, on Goa as if they are extraordinary politicians. These kids are nuisance in Goan politics. In fact they are immature political babies deserving no seats even in the village Panchayat. There is no public demand for them in Salcette to contest the election because they are not President Roosevelt in US producing extra ordinary economic "New Deal" which made the American public to force Roosevelt to contest the election for the third time by going against the two term precedent.
For both these Congress rebels Congress Party was good when their demands were accepted but bad when their demands were rejected. For this reason they give all the excuses to justify their revolt because it is said “Padreak Nib Vonnachem”.
A. Veronica Fernandes,
Goa.