Goa’s former public Works department minister Churchill Alemao is a colourful man. In the early 1990s Alemao was Goa’s first ever Catholic chief minister, albeit for a mere 18 days. Embroiled in several scandals, he claims to come from humble beginnings, but there are question marks in people's minds over his source of income.
Still, Alemao has built a macho, romantic image as the Robin Hood of the Catholic-dominated Salcete taluka. He dons many hats – politician, activist, football promoter (he is a patron of one of the country's more successful – though now defunct – football clubs, Churchill Brothers), and now singer.
He can be seen here belting out a tune at Goa’s annual Cashew Trail Festival. The song a mix of Konkani and English, has Alemao asking questions like "Where is my wife?", and, possibly, expressing a fondness for feni.
This is not Alemao’s first foray into singing. There are older videos of him singing on. This report from March 2015 mentions that the former minister would be featuring on an album titled Radio Buyao, a Konkani album with a radio concept.
Alemao was in the news in 2015 for his involvement in the multi-crore Louis Berger scam. Serving as the PWD minister at the time of the scam, he and several Goan politicians and officials are alleged to have benefited from a $976,630 bribe paid by officials of the US company in 2010 to secure a Rs 1,031-crore water and sewage management project funded by the Japan International Co-operation Agency.
He is also known for switching political parties but retaining political relevance. And the former minister, who was arrested in August and released on bail in October last year, has found a new way to endear himself to the public.
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