PANAJI
All India Congress Committee senior observer in-charge of Goa assembly polls P Chidambaram kept his cards close to the chest and did not specifically respond to the overtures made by the Trinamool Congress for a broad multi-party alliance to take on the ruling BJP.
“I read about it in the papers. I have no official word. But I will wait for an official word,” Chidambaram said in his initial reaction at a press conference in Panaji.
He later said that if a party was keen on offering support to the Congress to defeat the BJP, it would not make sense to reject it.
“The Congress is capable of defeating the BJP, but if any party wishes to support the Congress, why should I say no? Let us see what the official offer is,” Chidambaram said.
On January 7, Moitra had tweeted: “Rest assured, we the AITC will do everything possible to defeat BJP in Goa-@Goaforwardparty, @INCGoa @AITC4Goa and #MGP. @Mamataofficial has done it in past & will not shy away from walking extra mile in Goa too”.
When asked about the hostile relationship between the TMC and the Congress in the lead up to the polls, Chidambaram said: “What we said earlier was the situation on the ground when the TMC entered Goa, because the TMC was only dividing the Congress vote. But today you are reporting a statement. Unless I have an official word, how do I react to it?”
Chidambaram also pleaded ignorance to queries from the media about the possible entry of BJP’s Ports Minister and Calangute MLA into the Congress.
“I do not know. I do not answer these questions because I do not know,” Chidambaram said.
The former Union Finance Minister also said that the party would release the second list of candidates by Sunday. “The second list should be out by tomorrow. And if all goes well, we will have the third list by the 15th or 16th of this month. We are trying our best,” he said.
