Luizinho Faleiro joins Trinamul Congress

Kolkata: Former Goa Congress heavyweight and two-time state chief minister Luizinho Faleiro on Wednesday met Trinamul Congress supremo and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee at Nabanna, the state secretariat, and joined her party along with his followers.

In a series of tweets, an elated TMC chief said: “It’s a matter of great pride for me to welcome former Goa CM, 7-time MLA and stalwart Goan leader Shri @luizinhofaleiro to the Trinamul Congress family. Together we will stand up for every Goan, fight divisive forces and work towards ushering in a NEW DAWN for Goa.”

She added: “I am also pleased to welcome former MLA from MGP Shri Lavoo Mamledar, Congress general secretaries Yatish Naik & Vijay Poi and Congress secretaries Mario Pinto De Santana & Anand Naik to the party. Along with them, Sahitya Akademi Award winner and famous poet Shivdas Sonu Naik, South Goa Advocates Association president Antonio Monteiro Clovis Da Costa & Shri Rajendra Shivaji Kakodkar are also joining Trinamul Congress today. I welcome all of them to our family!”

Hailing Ms Banerjee as a “street fighter” and vowing to defeat the BJP, Mr Faleiro said: “My resignation is a unification of the Congress family. I started my journey in the west coast of India. Now I am in the east coast of India. At the outset, I would like to say I am a Congressman. I lived in its ideology for the last 40 years. Today when I am joining the TMC, my dream is to bring the Congress family together because when there is strength, there is unity. When there is unity, there is success. There is Congress everywhere. Trinamul Congress, YSR Congress, Sharad Pawar Congress and Indira Congress. I will try to ensure the Congress is consolidated once again.”

Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, however, questioned the venue of Mr Faleiro’s meeting with Ms Banerjee, tweeting: “Nabanna is being used as a TMC party office. The Bhabanipur candidate is discussing tomorrow’s poll with Goa TMC appointees at state secretariat? Regular breach of administrative protocols. Wonder if the chief secretary is typing appointment letters on TMC letterheads. EC is sleeping?”