Margao, Aug 23 (TOI): A day after he was appointed general secretary of the all India Congress committee (AICC) in charge of seven northeast states, Navelim MLA Luizinho Faleiro, commenting on Goa’s economic situation, said that the condition was “pathetic.” He said that while the country has been gripped by “economic and financial sickness”, Goa was suffering from “mining sickness.” “There is sickness even among leaders. The situation is very difficult,” Faleiro said while addressing mediapersons at a tree plantation function held at Navelim on Wednesday.

Casting a gloomy prognosis of the situation, Faleiro said, “The industrial growth has come down, the GDP has come down, unemployment is rampant...There is no hope for the new generation to get jobs.”

Reacting on his new appointment that brings him back into the role of a pointsman for the party in the northeast states ahead of the Parliamentary elections, Faleiro said that his challenge lies in building new leadership at the national level in each of the seven northeast states under his command.

“Each of the seven states is different from the other. My task is to build seven young leaders as AICC secretaries who could take over the reins as general secretaries in the future,” he said.

Stating that he would not neglect his Navelim constituency, Faleiro said that he has asked for seven AICC secretaries who will be attached to him with a view to ensuring that his burden is lessened and he got enough time to attend to his constituency. “The secretaries, one for each state, will work full time. My offices in Navelim will remain open as usual,” he said.

Stating that he was successful in bringing Congress to power during his earlier stint as general secretary in-charge of northeast states – twice in Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya and Mizoram, and in Manipur - Faleiro said, “Now the situation is bad, and they have asked for my help which I couldn’t refuse, as I am a Congressman. I will live as a Congressman and die a Congressman.”