Panaji, Sep 19 (PTI) The Congress and Aam Aadmi Party, which fought the Lok Sabha polls in Goa as allies, on Thursday engaged in a verbal tussle over the future of the INDI alliance.
Reacting to Goa Congress chief Amit Patkar’s statement that the alliance between his party and AAP was just for the Lok Sabha polls, Amit Palekar of the Arvind Kejriwal-led party said it would not hesitate to form a “third front” in the future.
People want the two parties to be allies and this is what led to Congress’ Viriato Fernandes winning the South Goa Lok Sabha seat, said Palekar, who is chief of Goa AAP.
“We will support the alliance but if statements like the one made by Patkar continue, then AAP is ready to form a third front in Goa,” Palekar asserted.
During the day, AAP MLA Venzy Viegas criticised the Congress for allowing a mega housing project, being helmed by Bhutani Infra, in south Goa allegedly at the cost of the environment.
It was the Congress which gave permission to the project in 2007 and 2011 and AAP “will become a part of this sin as it is in alliance with the party”, Viegas claimed.
“We are allies. We ensured their candidate won from South Goa Lok Sabha seat. But if they don’t want an alliance, so bet it,” the MLA added.
State Congress chief Patkar was unavailable for comments.
Meanwhile, Goa BJP spokesperson Giriraj Pai Vernekar said the tussle showed the hypocrisy of the INDI alliance.
The AAP calls Congress corrupt and then allies with it, which shows the claims of clean politics of the former are a farce, Vernekar said.
Asserting that the AAP had earlier levelled allegations against another ally Vijai Sardesai, Vernekar said it shows the opposition is weak and cannot take on the ruling BJP.
“The INDI alliance is a fraud and people of Goa must reject such opportunistic and dishonest politics,” the BJP leader said. PTI RPS BNM
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