PANJIM: Former Union Minister and All India Congress Committee (AICC) election observer P Chidambaram on Saturday said that the Congress Party is ready to accept support of any political party intending to defeat the BJP in Goa Assembly elections slated for February 14.
When asked for his reaction to TMC Goa in-charge and MP Mahua Moitra tweet that her party is open for pre-poll alliance and had tagged Goa Forward Party and Goa Congress in the tweet, Chidambaram said, “I read about it in newspapers. We will wait for official word from (TMC). Congress is capable of defeating BJP and if any political party wishes to support Congress why should I say no (to them)?”
Congress has announced its pre-poll alliance with regional Goa Forward Party (GFP) while the TMC has also forged alliance with the oldest Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP).
Chidambaram further said that the second list of Congress candidates will be released on Sunday, January 9 and if all goes well then the third list of candidates will be announced by January 15.
When asked how many names would be declared in the second list, he said, “We are trying our best. I have no idea about the number of candidates in the second list and the third list of candidates could be the last one”.
Referring to the 21-point charge sheet against the BJP government, he demanded that the government should respond to the charge sheet prepared by the Congress. If the Congress party comes back to power obviously the Congress government will investigate all these charges. These charges will hang like a cloud over the polls and post-polls and elections and the Ministers against whom charges have been made will have to answer them, he said.
Stating that he was shocked by some of the charges, Chidambaram said that he was also shocked to know how the BJP government had done scams during the COVID-19 pandemic and had sold jobs. “How would tourists visit Goa if there is no proper bus transport and internet facilities?” he questioned.
