NEW DELHI / GOA | Goa’s voters, after being repeatedly let down by the Congress and the BJP, now have a third political option in the form of the ‘Goa First’ Alliance. Ahead of the Goa Assembly elections, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal announced the alliance between the AAP and Goa Forward Party (GFP), in the presence of GFP Chief Vijai Sardesai.
The AAP Chief upheld the ‘Goa First’ Alliance as a strong alternative to the BJP and Congress, announcing the partnership on Ganesh Chaturthi as a “new beginning” in Goa’s politics. He maintained that the alliance would seek to prevent a repeat of the people being betrayed by both parties in the 2017 and 2022 elections.
Addressing a joint press conference with Goa Forward Party’s Vijai Sardesai at the Abolim Hall, AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal stated, “It is said that an auspicious occasion should begin by invoking Bhagwan Ganesha. Therefore, there could not have been a better occasion than Ganesh Chaturthi. Today, we are announcing the alliance between the Goa Forward Party and the Aam Aadmi Party in Goa, which will be called the ‘Goa First Alliance.’”
He continued, “The need for this alliance arose because the people of Goa have been watching for several years that they have no alternative. They either vote for Congress or they vote for BJP, and there is an alliance operating between the two parties. In 2017, people voted for Congress out of frustration with BJP, but Congress horse-traded its MLAs and helped BJP form the government. In 2022, people once again voted against BJP, but Congress again gave BJP the numbers and helped it form the government.”
Arvind Kejriwal emphasised, “People have been betrayed twice and are not in the mood to be betrayed for a third time. They want an alternative. On one side, Congress is betraying the people and on the other, BJP is doing the same. During elections, BJP leaders hurl abuses at Congress, and afterwards they form the government with the very same Congress leaders. Today, there is a BJP government, but more than half of it consists of leaders from Congress. In a way, both parties are working together to betray the people. Behind the scenes, there is love and affection, a setting and a deal between the two. The people of Goa are unhappy.”
Describing the nature of the present government, the AAP Chief asserted, “This government has no ideology. It is neither a BJP government nor a Congress government. It is only a government of money and a ‘mafia raj’. For them, it is only ‘Pocket First’, whereas our alliance is ‘Goa First’. Today, there is mafia raj in every sector of Goa, with builders and contractors ruling the state. If anyone speaks to BJP leaders today, they know for certain that their government is not going to return and they will not get a majority. Yet BJP leaders shamelessly say openly that even if we get only six seats, the government will still be ours because Congress is there.”
Arvind Kejriwal added, “BJP and Congress are both extremely confident that together they will form a BJP government. People want to change this. Until now, people had no option other than BJP and Congress. Today, for the first time, a strong alternative has emerged in the form of ‘Goa First’, a non-BJP and non-Congress alliance. All those who want to defeat BJP and those who are fed up with Congress’s cheating can vote for the ‘Goa First’ Alliance.”
Asserting that the political outcome was already clear, Arvind Kejriwal stated, “It is certain that BJP will not get a majority in this election. It is also certain that most of the Congress MLAs who win will move to BJP and help it form the government. ‘Goa First’ has been formed to stop this. This is not a theoretical alliance. It will win and form a ‘Goa First’ government with a full majority on its own. This is an honest alliance that will remain loyal to the people of Goa. Until now, neither BJP nor Congress has been loyal to the people of Goa.”
