MAPUSA
Elections are good five months away, but AAP national convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s announcement of second guarantee on jobs after free power appears to have rattled the ruling BJP in
the State.
A day after holding a media conference in Panaji, the BJP on Thursday lined up its Zilla Panchayat (ZP) members from North Goa to slam AAP’s promises on jobs and doles but ended up with an egg on their face over queries from scribes on the issue of rising fuel prices and repeated promise of 10,000 jobs by the BJP in Goa.
According to BJP’s North Goa ZP Chairperson, Kartik Kudnekar, Kejriwal was trying to misguide the people of Goa by making false promises of providing jobs to the unemployed and doles to tourism and mining dependents in the State.
“Kejriwal is spreading lies by his fake promises to the people of Goa. AAP will not be able to get even one MLA elected in the State. They just can’t digest the work done by our government in Goa,” Kudnekar said.
Vice-Chairperson of ZP, North Goa, Diksha Kanolkar said the BJP government has been serving the people of Goa for the last five years and some parties have started parachuting leaders from Delhi just before the elections and make bogus assurances.
“He log ieta ani amkam pillam dita. Ti ami garam udkan kai thand udkan geunk zai tem kalanam. (These people (AAP) come only during elections and make false promises to people of Goa),” Kanolkar said.
She exhorted the people of Goa not to get swayed by the Delhi party’s false promises.
ZP members Girish Uskaikar, Manisha Naik, Shankar Chodankar and Rupesh Naik also addressed the media on AAP’s attempt to woo the voters by making tall promises.
But the ZP members were left red-faced when confronted with queries on rising fuel and its ripple effect and the assurances made by the BJP in the election year.
“Which party does not blow its horn during the elections? When you guys were in the opposition you’ll descended on roads protesting against hike in petrol and gas prices. Now, petrol has hit Rs 100 and gas is nearing Rs 900. Why don’t you come on the roads now?” a question popped up from among the journalists, stunning the ZP members to silence.
If that was not enough, another scribe pointed out that the promise of 10,000 jobs by the BJP was also an exercise to misguide the people of Goa with an eye on the approaching elections.
“We don’t question the wisdom of Delhi voters. Our only appeal to Goans is not to get fooled by AAP,” Kudnekar said while trying to wriggle out from an uncomfortable position, when questioned by yet another journo whether the Delhi voters were foolish to re-elect AAP for the second time.
