Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji
Panaji, Oct 5: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Monday alleged that there was a conspiracy to break the 'Goa First' alliance and asked its ally, the Goa Forward Party (GFP), to clarify whether it stood with what AAP called a “Congress-BJP joint venture” or with the people of Goa.
AAP Goa president Valmiki Naik said the alliance, announced on September 13 for the 2027 Assembly elections, was open to political parties other than the Congress and BJP. The alliance was unveiled in the presence of AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal and has been described as a “non-Congress, non-BJP” front.
Addressing a press conference along with AAP MLAs Cruz Silva and Venzy Viegas, Naik said, “Goa First is open to all, excluding the Congress and BJP. There are conspiracies to break the alliance. Those who want no defections and no corruption can join the alliance.”
He also alleged that the Congress and BJP had together “destroyed” Goa over the past decade.
Naik said GFP chief Vijai Sardesai needed to decide whether he stood with the BJP-Congress “joint venture” or the people of Goa. Sardesai was not immediately available for a response.
AAP and the Vijai Sardesai-led GFP had announced the alliance on September 13. Soon after the announcement, Sardesai had said his party was “ready for political realignment, if people demand”.
He had also said that 'Goa First' was not a non-Congress alliance and that his party was ready to join hands with other like-minded parties seeking to defeat the BJP.
The 40-member Goa Assembly currently has two AAP MLAs and one GFP MLA. GFP was an alliance partner of the Congress in the 2022 Assembly elections.
Naik alleged that defections between the Congress and BJP had become a recurring feature of Goa politics and said the trend would continue in the 2027 elections.
“If we see the last 40 years, they are full of defections. If we see history, only two parties -- Congress and BJP -- facilitate defections. For the last 10 years, there has been a complete mockery of democracy. There is a joint venture of the Congress and BJP,” he alleged.
He also claimed that the Opposition Congress was helping the ruling BJP retain power in the state.
AAP further alleged that the Congress could face another round of defections, pointing to Girish Chodankar's return as Goa Congress chief. The party said Chodankar had been at the helm during two major defections from the Congress in 2019 and 2022.