Team Herald
MARGAO: While appealing to the people to vote for the Congress candidates at the Zilla Panchayat elections, South Goa MP Francisco Sardinha claimed that Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and NCP have fielded candidates only to support BJP.
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Briefing media persons, Sardinha, who has been canvassing for Congress’s ZP candidate, responded to questions about the party’s equation with NCP and MGP amongst other queries.
He admitted that NCP, which is its ally in Maharashtra, does not have the same relations in Goa. Pointing out that in the State, NCP has aligned with the BJP, he appealed to those who had voted for him in the Lok Sabha elections, not to vote for NCP candidates.
Regarding MGP, he explained that Congress has not fielded candidates in some constituencies to support the MGP candidates there, as MGP had supported him during his MP elections. “Enemy’s enemy becomes a friend and that is how we have a tacit understanding with the MGP,” he said.
On AAP, he stated stated that it is an established fact that AAP is the B team of the BJP and hence there is no point in voting for AAP, if the BJP has to be defeated at the elections. “For us it is a question of keeping the BJP out somehow or the other,” he added.
Commenting on what happened in Sancoale, he said it was unfortunate. He added that the party district committee had finalised a candidate but he said he was not aware of the fact that the proposed Congress candidate was supposed to be a dummy for an independent candidate.
Further, making a strong case against voting for the BJP candidates, he pointed out that BJP has only been making empty promises. “Mining has not yet started. Mhadei has been sold out by the Chief Minister and in Delhi, it was the BJP government’s sponsored violence against the peacefully protesting people,” he said.
When pointed out that the Congress has fielded alleged “matka bookies” as candidates, Francisco quipped, “There is nothing wrong in that as we have had ‘matka bookies’ becoming ministers in Goa.” He elaborated saying ‘matka bookies’ are popular amongst the people and hence they get elected at elections.
