Goa Congress chief's sarcastic outburst over disgruntled leaders' Delhi visit

After a delegation of state Congress leaders visited Delhi to meet the party high command, the party's Goa unit president Luizinho Faleiro on Saturday sarcastically linked it to a pilgrimage.

"As Muslims go to Mecca, Christians go to Jerusalem and Hindus go to Rishikesh, Congressmen from Goa travel to party offices in Delhi for a pilgrimage," Faleiro said sarcastically.

He was responding to a question at a press conference here on the delegation members, including some MLAs, who went to meet the Congress leadership in Delhi earlier this week to press for an alliance with regional parties for the February 4 assembly elections.

Faleiro has been opposed to the coalition proposal.

"In the last five years, these so-called leaders did not have time to visit the Congress office. I succeeded in making them go on a pilgrimage to the Delhi office... it is a moment of happiness for me," he said.

Faleiro has faced intra-party dissent for several months now over alliances with regional parties.

Congress leaders like former Chief Minister Digambar Kamat, Aleixo Sequeira and others visited Delhi to impress upon the top leadership to go for an alliance with regional parties like Goa Forward.

--IANS

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