PANJIM: The
ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has welcomed Congress leaders’ moves
towards forming a grand alliance to fight the 2017 Assembly elections, claiming
this stems from a fear of defeat.
Addressing the
media on Wednesday, BJP State President Vinay Tendulkar said the party welcomes
the opposition’s concept of a grand alliance, which as Congress fears defeat in
the next election. “We would only like to suggest that before going for any
grand alliance, party (Congress) should have an alliance within itself and make
its party base strong,” Tendulkar quipped.
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The BJP
leader’s statement comes on the heels of internal conflict within the Congress,
wherein the party stands divided on the issue of a grand alliance. While some
legislators, including Vishwajit Rane, Digambar Kamat, Alexio Reginaldo Lourenco
and Jennifer Monserrate support a grand alliance, Pradesh Committee members
including State unit President Luizinho Faleiro are reluctant to align with
other parties.
“The
opposition MLAs are scared they might not even win the elections next year.
That is the reason why a move is on for a grand alliance,” Tendulkar said.
BJP,
however, maintained that its coalition with Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP)
will continue for the 2017 elections. “BJP-MGP alliance is intact and it will
continue. Hence I don’t feel any grand alliance will make any difference.
People of Goa are not fools… they know the kind of work BJP has done through
development and social welfare schemes in the last four-and-a-half years,” he
stated.
Countering
allegations levied by opposition members against the free LED bulbs scheme,
Panjim MLA Siddharth Kuncolienkar along with Tendulkar said BJP’s growing
popularity due to various welfare schemes is giving sleepless nights to the
opponents. “They (opposition MLAs) are worried with BJP’s growing popularity
and hence are making baseless allegations that the scheme is a scam,” he said.
They even
pointed out that the scheme was highly praised by Leader of the Opposition
Pratapsingh Rane.
The party
also justified the Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar distributing LED
bulbs in the State claiming ‘he is a people’s leader and would always like to
be connected with the people of Goa’.
