MARGAO
Asserting that the Congress is already in alliance with the people of Goa, South Goa Congress MP Captain Viriato Fernandes on Saturday cautioned that the party will fight to defeat the BJP along with the people if there are attempts to divide the Opposition vote in the 2027 Assembly election.
Reacting to reports that the Goa Forward Party and Aam Aadmi Party are forging an alliance on Sunday, Fernandes said GFP chief Vijai Sardesai had not indicated that his party planned to tie up with AAP when he and Congress senior working president M K Sheikh met him earlier this week.
He said the Congress delegation had given Sardesai the choice of either continuing the alliance with Congress or merging the regional party with the principal Opposition party.
“The Congress will have our strategy to deal with the GFP-AAP alliance. Since we already have an alliance with the people of Goa, we will further strengthen that alliance, come what may. The people of Goa will fight the BJP. If there are any attempts to divide the Opposition vote, we, along with the people of Goa, will defeat the BJP,” he asserted.
Asked about reports that other parties, including Goa Congress, could join the GFP-AAP alliance, Fernandes said, “The people of Goa are wise and not fools. If any attempt is made to divide the Opposition vote at a time when people are bracing to defeat the BJP, they will not remain silent because they know what happened in the past will happen again.”
Asked whether Congress would join if invited, Fernandes said, “We don’t know what alliance they are talking about. Congress is a national party. It is up to them to take a decision when we have given them the offer either to continue the alliance or merge their party with Congress. We will be with the people since we already have an alliance with the people of Goa.”
