FRIDAY, APRIL 19, 2024
Team Herald
PANJIM: The interesting and amusing move of Congress leaders going to the Bambolim shrine and then to a temple to pledge that they will not defect to another party (read the BJP) post elections has drawn amusing responses from the opposition. The big question is: are some Congressmen keeping the seat warm for the BJP post poll? Here are some reactions:
”Did they not do it in the past? They had made a pledge in the past, whether you go to a temple or don’t go to a temple, whether you do it in front of God or do it in front of a statue; a pledge is a pledge finally. These people are grandfathers of defection. I am not even saying fathers of defection. Now being grandfathers of defection, it is more criminal than any other criminal to take a pledge like that and not to follow it. And that is what they have done in the past. Congress has become a shopping mall, where they have a scheme where you buy one and you get nine free. Last time ten of them ran away to the BJP. And BJP is shopping there so what can the people do. This is a shopping mall. People must realise that they are voting for Congress but this is what BJP is trying to do. This is an eye wash. They are fooling the people. They are not scared of God. Whether you take them to a temple or a sacramentum, they will still repeat it.
- Dr Jorson Fernandes, TMC Goa Vice President
“I would like to state that the stunt proves that Congress is still taking its voters for granted. After the multiple betrayals by Congress over the past five years, the party has still not taken concrete steps to instill confidence in its voters that they will not be betrayed again. The stunt reminded one of children who do ‘God promise’ by pinching their neck when they want to convince friends or family that they are not lying, but everyone could see that the Congress candidates were not sincere at all in their oath-taking, and only made a mockery of people’s faith for a political photo-op. It is common knowledge that politicians regularly run to God to wash themselves of their sins of corruption, crime and betrayal in politics. So that stunt didn't fool anyone.
- Valmiki Naik, AAP Goa Spokesperson
“During the last elections and after that too, Congress candidates and MLAs had taken an oath before the public that they will not defect to other parties. But they did so anyway. Now they have taken an oath before the Gods. But that is no guarantee that they will stick to this promise. However, this shows that Congress doesn’t have trust in their own candidates that they want them to take such an oath.
- Adv Surel Tilve, AAP Goa’s Vice-President
“They have been betraying the voters and playing dirty tricks with the public mandate all this while. Not only now but for so many years they have done this. They have never been wary about betraying the voters. The same guys, switching from this party lock stock barrel. Now, they are not even sparing God from their dirty tricks. So they are making God a treaty to it. Now people are sick of it, at least we expected that they will keep away and get scared of the Gods. This has been a completely foolish move on their part.
- Rahul Mhambrey, AAP Goa Convenor
