In a strong and categorical statement, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Goa President Amit Palekar has ruled out any alliance with the Congress party for the next round of Assembly elections, citing repeated breaches of trust and opportunism. He emphasised that AAP will contest alone, reiterating the stance of the party's national leadership.
“Our national convenor Arvind Kejriwal has already said that we are not in the INDIA alliance,” Palekar stated. He pointed to the handling of seat-sharing during the Lok Sabha elections, which he said lacked reciprocity from the Congress. “This time, we have clearly said we will go it alone. If there is any proposal from the Congress, it must be a categorical commitment to the people’s aspirations. Otherwise, there is no alliance.”
Palekar recalled specific instances to justify the decision. In South Goa, he said that shortly after the Congress won the Lok Sabha seat, local Congress leaders expressed their unwillingness to continue any alliance with AAP. “There has been trust deficit with the Congress right from the Lok Sabha elections,” he said.
He also highlighted similar breaches of understanding in other states like Gujarat and Haryana. “In Gujarat, there was an understanding that we should not field candidates against each other. We honoured it, but when it was their turn, Congress fielded candidates against us. This has happened repeatedly,” Palekar added. He accused Congress of being ‘opportunistic’ and said that alliances cannot be forged in an environment of mistrust.