Team Herald
PANJIM: Activist Swati Kerkar, former AAP candidate from South Goa for the 2014 Lok Sabha election, on Thursday alleged that AAP leaders backstabbed and worked for the BJP in the 2014 polls. Kerkar, currently Congress’ Seva Dal chief, had lost the parliamentary election to BJP’s Narendra Sawaikar.
Congress on Thursday also released pictures of AAP Goa convenor and Panjim candidate for the 2017 elections Valmiki Naik flashing the ‘V’ sign to BJP supporters after APP lost the 2014 North Goa Lok Sabha seat.
Addressing media persons, Kerkar said she had joined AAP in 2014 as at that point it was seen as a people’s party and follower of Anna Hazare’s ideology. “However during the election campaign and post results, I realized that some senior AAP leaders were working for BJP. I was left all alone, they backstabbed,” she claimed. “AAP was always a B team of BJP,” she charged.
Earlier, Congress spokesman Trajano D’Mello releasing the picture of Naik said, “The picture reveals the real face of AAP. While the party had lost in both constituencies of Goa, its leader Valmiki Naik was cheering the BJP supporters with a victory sign,” D’Mello said.
“A victory sign by the AAP leader indicates they were the B team in the polls. It is safe to say that the local AAP leaders are pawns on the political chess board of the BJP headed by the Defence Minister,” D’Mello alleged.
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Valmiki says it was a sign of peace
APP Goa convenor Valmiki Naik confirmed that the picture circulated is a “real picture” but the ‘V’ sign does not represent victory but “peace”. “It’s a real photo. But I am not celebrating. I do show the ‘V’ sign for many things and this was for peace,” Naik said explaining that he was walking out of the counting centre and ‘the crazy BJP bhakts were baying for my blood’. “After I did the ‘V’ sign, they didn’t get it, they tried to attack me and threw gulal in my eyes,” he stated. Naik added, “I am standing against Manohar Parrikar in Panjim, his so-called headquarters. Why hasn’t Congress fielded a strong candidate against him ever? Why the ‘fixing’ every time? They still have time to show that they are not the B-team of BJP. Let them field their strongest face against BJP’s strongest face if they have the guts. Otherwise, they need to stop having meaningless and confused press conferences based on newspaper photos.”
