Hitting out at the BJP and the Congress, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday alleged that if any of these parties is voted to power in Goa again, it will "plunder" the state exchequer, leading to doubling of the debt burden to Rs 50,000 crore. He said the AAP will provide a "corruption-free and honest" government in the coastal state. Elections for the 40-member Goa Assembly will be held on Monday.
Addressing a public meeting in Mayem assembly constituency, Kejriwal said Goa is reeling under a debt burden of Rs 24,000 crore, "which got accumulated during the previous rule of the Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP)". "Where has all this money gone? Was it used for the welfare of the people? All that money was channelised into Swiss bank accounts of the rulers, who looted the state," the Delhi chief minister alleged. "If Congress or BJP are allowed to rule Goa for another five years, they will continue to plunder the state exchequer and the debt burden will increase to Rs 50,000 crore," he said. Parties like BJP, Congress and MGP were responsible for unemployment and other issues in the state.
Kejriwal alleged that the BJP indulged in several scams, like labour scam, garbage scam, ventilator scam and job scam in the last five years, due to which common people had to suffer. "We have to change the system. AAP has promised to give an honest government in Goa. The money which went into the Swiss bank accounts should be brought back to the state coffers and utilised for public welfare," he said. AAP will form Goa's first corruption-free government, he asserted. Kejriwal assured that action would be taken against any MLA or minister of AAP if found guilty of taking bribe, and pointed out that the party had sacked its food minister in Delhi and handed him over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) after he demanded money from a local ration shop.
Reiterating his party's election promises, Kejriwal said AAP will provide uninterrupted electricity supply to the citizens free of cost. According to him, 35 lakh families are getting such a benefited in the national capital. "Only Kejriwal can do this magic, no other party can do it," he said. On the mining industry in Goa, Kejriwal said, "Despite the Supreme Court order asking the state to resume mining, the BJP-led government did nothing because of their setting. But if AAP comes to power in the state, it will resume the mining operations within six months."
PTI Inputs
