PANAJI, Dec 21: Aam Aadmi Party leader and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal
has castigated Goa politicians as "third class" in a "first class" State and
promised a "first corruption-free" Government if his party is elected to power.
State elections are due early next year.
The AAP convenor, in Goa on a two-day visit, was addressing a rally on Tuesday.
"Goa is a first-class State with absolutely third-class politicians. I think
Goa deserves much better politicians. What did these parties give you apart
from corruption in the last 60 years? Our party will make the first corruption-free
Government in Goa," he told the gathering at Bandodkar Ground in Panaji.
He said Goa deserves better politicians. The State was liberated in 1961 and
in the last 60 years, the Congress ruled for 27 years, BJP and MGP 15 years
each. They could only perpetrate corruption. Did they build any hospitals or
schools? They are always defecting from party to party.
Kejriwal claimed that his Government created a magic in Delhi in the last five
years. "I don't want to buy MLAs. We have a development model for Goa. The plan
was based on interactions with the people of Goa." The AAP has said it will
contest all the Assembly seats in Goa. In 2017 also the AAP was in the fray
but did not win a seat.
On an earlier occasion, on July 26, AAP leader and Delhi Power Minister Satyender
Jain too had called Goa politicians "third-class." In reaction, Chief Minister
Pramod Sawant tweeted: “AAP has always indulged in cheap politics through constant
protests and theatrics. But to say Goans are third class politicians is an insult
to great sons-of-the-soil like Bhausaheb Bandodkar, Jack Sequeira, Manohar Bhai
Parrikar, Rajendra Arlekar or Shripad Bhau Naik.”
On July 14, Kejriwal had declared his electoral promise of free electricity
up to 300 units for all the households in Goa. This amounts to “zero” power
bills to at least 87 per cent of Goa’s population. The American style debate
on the stage between Jain and BJP’s Power Minister of Goa Nilesh Cabral on the
topic was a followup on July 26. Cabral said the proposal was not sustainable
and called it a "voter bait", while Jain defended the AAP plan saying it is
possible if the distribution system is streamlined.
