Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: The Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) has accused BJP General Secretary Sidharth Kuncalienker of avoiding key questions raised by GPCC President Girish Chodankar regarding an alleged BJP plan to float a proxy “secular” political party in Salcete.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Congress claimed that instead of responding to the allegations, Kuncalienker had resorted to personal attacks while failing to issue a categorical denial of the charge. The party said his silence on the core issue had raised legitimate questions.
The Congress sought answers from the BJP on whether it was attempting to facilitate the formation of a new Salcete-based political party to divide secular votes. It also questioned why the BJP had not unequivocally denied the allegations if they were false and asked who financed the large-scale defections of Congress MLAs to the BJP.
The party further alleged that rather than making personal remarks against Chodankar, Kuncalienker should address issues concerning his own public record. It referred to controversies surrounding the alleged “Golden Toilet” project at Mala, Smart City works in Panjim, the installation of electrical poles on Atal Setu and expenditure on camera poles in the city.
The Congress maintained that personal attacks could not divert attention from matters of public interest and said public representatives were expected to answer questions with facts, transparency and accountability.
The statement also referred to a past remark in which Kuncalienker was allegedly described as a “chaprasi” by a senior BJP leader, stating that he should display the independence to respond to the substantive issues raised before the people of Goa.
The Congress asserted that the people of Salcete and Goa were politically aware and would not be distracted by diversionary tactics, reiterating that the questions raised by GPCC President Girish Chodankar remain unanswered and deserve a clear response from the BJP.
