'Unconditional seat-sharing would have compromised our ideology'

OLD GOA

THE GOAN: Did you honestly think of withdrawing in favour of Congress candidate if your conditions were fulfilled?

MANOJ PARAB: If they had fulfilled the conditions, then we would have initiated talks for seat sharing. We would have shown them where our strength lies and accordingly decide whether to contest on one seat or two seats.

TG: The conditions you laid down for the Congress were tough, what if they had to agree and later renegade once the polls are done and dusted?

MP: If such a thing had to happen, then people would have never trusted the Congress and it would never stand a change of raising its head again in Goa.

TG: You have been slammed as the ‘B’ team of BJP and have been picked for going soft of Pallavi Dempo? Why has this pro-BJP tag always been attached to the RGP?

MP: The Congress and other parties have nothing concrete to show against the RGP which is the reason why they always give RGP the tag of being B-team of the BJP. They just cannot digest the fact that RGP is growing. Also, the Congress does not have a vision of its own or even leaders to lead the party. So, they keep targeting the RGP.

TG: Don’t you feel that RGP’s presence will result in a split in votes benefiting the BJP, like in 2022 Assembly elections? If you perceive BJP as an enemy, why was there no seat-sharing worked out with the INDIA Bloc?

MP: In the Assembly elections, our lone MLA in St Andre won by defeating the BJP candidate. And if the Congress thinks that their candidates lost to BJP because of votes garnered by RGP, then in several instances BJP candidates also lost to Congress because of votes garnered by our party.

And also, if we had to do seat-sharing unconditionally then our ideology would have to be compromised which would never happen. So, we were ready to hold seat-sharing talks only if our conditions were accepted.

TG: Do you think you can make a change if elected to the Lok Sabha? Do you feel smaller regional parties can make a difference when national parties are calling the shots at the Centre?

MP: The fact is that at the national level, governments are formed with the help of regional parties. In INDI Alliance alone there are 37 regional parties.

So, it is not that the regional parties cannot make a difference. Every regional party uses its influence in the alliance to get their issues resolved and RGP would also do the same. Further, Goa’s issues are not highlighted nationally and if we send our MPs in the Parliament, then we will ensure that the State’s issues get attention at the national level and with the help of other regional parties work out a solution to these issues.