PANAJI: Coming out with the information that the Bharatiya Janata Party will contest the forthcoming state assembly election in a pre-poll alliance with the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, Union Minister for Road Transport Nitin Gadkari said that a survey carried out by the state unit of the BJP has revealed a scenario wherein for every two votes of the BJP diverted by the Aam Aadmi Party at the particular election, corresponding eight votes of the Congress party would be split by the AAP.
“Therefore, we wish all the best to the AAP as it would indirectly help us to win the 2017 assembly election,” Gadkari stated at a city press conference on Friday, adding that a preliminary report of the survey points out that the entry of the AAP in Goa is auspicious for the BJP.
“In fact, the AAP will help the BJP in achieving its dream of Congress-mukt Bharat or Congress-free India, starting with the Goa assembly elections,” he noted, adding that this in turn, would also fulfil Mahatma Gandhi’s dream of Congress party withdrawing itself from the national politics.
Gadkari brushed off the challenge posed to the BJP by the rival faction of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh led by Subhash Velingkar, through the Bharatiya Bhasha Suraksha Manch.
“We will solve the problem with affection and co-ordination,” he told the reporters, stating that any active member of the RSS cannot participate into political activities, and if he desires so then he has to move out of the Sangh activities.
Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar, Deputy Chief Minister, Francis D’Souza and South Goa MP Narendra Sawaikar were also present at the press briefing.
Gadkari, who is the state in-charge of the BJP for the 2017 state assembly polls, said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and he himself would all visit Goa to campaign for this election.
“It is absurd to even think that we would not do so,” he quipped, counter questioning as to how one could refrain from participating in a wedding ceremony held in one’s house. The Union minister said that he has already told the BJP MLAs to push their tally in the state legislative assembly beyond 25, after the state assembly election.
“They need to increase the number of legislators in the state legislative assembly from the existing 21, as well as hike the percentage of votes garnered by us in 2012,” he noted.
Speaking about continuation of the BJP-MGP alliance, Gadkari said that he has held talks with the senior MGP leader Ramakrishna ‘Sudin’ Dhavalikar and was assured of this pre-poll political collaboration.
“The association between the BJP and the MGP is still sweet and courteous, as well as my personal relations with the MGP leaders very good,” he observed, maintaining that he considers Sudin very close to the BJP.
“In fact, whatever differences presently exists between our two parties, including the MGP demands in seat-sharing, would be thrashed out during the alliance talks between the MGP leaders and Parrikar as well as Parsekar,” he said, mentioning that such differences are normal between alliance partners in politics.
Stating that there is a scenario of resentment in the Congress camp, in Goa, Gadkari said that many Congressmen in the state desire to switch over to the BJP.
“And many of them are already in contact with me,” he noted.
It was also informed that the South Goa MP has been asked to follow up with the pending works and projects in Goa, linked to the state government, who in turn will bring the same to the notice of Gadkari so that he can get clearances for them from the respective central government departments.