Panaji (Goa): All India Congress Committee Secretary Girish Chodankar has mocked the statement by chief minister Manohar Parrikar stating that BJP has won panchayat elections before even contesting them.
“BJP has won Panchayat elections without contesting. BJP is master manipulator, they are manipulating winners as their candidates. Had they named the candidates before the elections people would have rejected many of them,” Chodankar said reacting to the claims of Parrikar that of the total victorious candidates 70 per cent were his party workers.
He said that if BJP was confident of winning the panchayat elections, they would not have backtracked on their decision to allow polls to be fought on party symbol. “BJP knew it well that they have lost the grounds in Goa and hence thought it wise to let the elections be fought without party affiliation,” Chodankar added.
“At least BJP could have declared its official panel before the public. BJP had done everything possible to manipulate delimitation and ward reservations to help their candidates and despite this people have rejected their candidates,” he said urging the chief minister Mr. Parrikar to be realistic, use government machinery and find out the ground reality about BJP losing their hold in the state.
“You will be shocked Mr CM to see BJP lost in most of its stronghold,” he commented.
Chodankar said “the moment Mr. Parrikar has invited winning elected Panchayat Members one day before the results at his official Bungalow by giving public invitation, we have realised that Mr Parrikar has opened the shop for shopping Panchayat Members and to project them as BJP’s victory.”
It was shocking that Mr Parrikar who otherwise is unavailable to his ministers and MLAs has kept three hours to meet elected Panch. “BJP wants to win the winning candidates that’s simple politics BJP is doing,” he said.
He asked Mr Parrikar as to what his government has achieved since came to power through back door by manipulating people’s mandate for which people of Goa would elected BJP candidates? Chodankar said, people of Goa defeated BJP so badly in Assembly elections that they defeated siting CM along with 50% of the cabinet and the way they have forced government by defeating people’s verdict. This has not gone down well with the people and to add to this BJP’s manipulations in Panchayat elections, your interference in Goa urban Co-operative Bank elections and preventing duly elected body to take over the bank has done more damage to the party with difference. Chodankar said we have no reason to believe why people will vote for you?
He urged Mr Parrikar to stop fooling people of Goa again and again which his cheap political gimmicks which people are well aware off. He said this is the reason why despite giving open invitation to elected Panch Members to come to his Bunglow very few turned up. It’s high too me that Mr Parrikar should do proper introspection of himself and his party.
As far as our party stand is concern, we had kept our self away from local self government in the past and this time also we did same thing. People of Goa by and large have elected our people who had contested. We thank and congratulate people of Goa for forming their government in every village.
Team TNV
