PANJIM: A day after BJP felicitated its national party president Amit Shah for forming the government in Goa, the Congress took dig at the saffron party alleging that the “felicitation was an insult to the voters’ mandate”.
“The felicitation ceremony by BJP on Sunday was nothing but an insult to the public and its mandate. People gave a clear majority to the Congress with 17 seats. Whereas, it rejected BJP by sending its Chief Minister and four other ministers back home. BJP was reduced to 13 from 21,” All India Congress Committee (AICC) secretary Girish Chodankar told media persons.
“BJP acted like professional robbers and robbed power from us. For the first time in the history, the electorate was defeated by a party,” the All India Congress Committee secretary said.
Congress claimed that the felicitation programme was held to boost the party workers’ morale, as they face humiliation from the public. “BJP went against the people’s mandate. How can they face these voters, who rejected them? The workers have lost the confidence and the same was visible during the Sunday meeting,” Chodankar said.
The AICC leader said BJP workers felt lost twice during the recent polls – first was on March 11 when they were reduced to 13 seats and second on March 14, when Manohar Parrikar was sworn in against the people wishes. “BJP never defeated Congress; in fact it defeated the people of Goa,” he said.
Congress spokesperson Adv Yatish Naik said the BJP-led coalition government of MGP, Goa Forward and Independent MLAs is one of the most opportunistic of alliances the State has ever witnessed.
“The party that was thrown out by the people, was brought to power through a planned conspiracy by MGP and Goa Forward,” he charged.
