Aam Aadmi Party MLA Raghav Chadha while announcing that he would address the first Vij Andolan rally in Valpoi constituency when he resumes in January 2021 dared Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant to arrest him for it and advised the chief minister not to stop meetings to curb the voice of people.
Briefing media persons he sought to know under what provision of law was AAP leader Sandesh Telekar arrested two days ago while addressing a meeting at Valpoi. “Which provision of IPC did Sandesh violate and what act of his was illegal or unconstitutional?” he asked adding that Sandesh only exposed the corruption of the government that is looting the people.
Raghav asserted that the Chief Minister and BJP government in Goa is totally rattled with the tremendous response AAP is getting and the manner in which people are participating in the Vij Andolan and demanding that they too should receive electricity like in Delhi.
He pointed out that the BJP government has been sending police at the venues of their Vij Andolan rallies to disrupt the same and announced that because of the code of conduct coming in force due to the Zilla Panchayat elections the same has been suspended for the moment and will resume in January 2021.
He congratulated the people of Goa for withstanding the pressure tactics used by the Government by abusing state machinery. “The police asked the people gathered for the meetings to go home but the brace and courageous Goans did not move,” he said while lambasting Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant for abusing state machinery.
“Stopping the meetings to suppress the voice of the people is like stopping the watch to stop the time,” he said adding that AAP will not get intimated by such abuse of state machinery.
He disclosed that the meeting held in the constituency of Power Minister Nilesh Cabral was disrupted with power cuts. “There were three power failures for the meeting of one hour and if the power minister cannot give regular power to his own constituency what will he do for the State?” he asked.
He recalled the BJP trying the same tactics in Delhi where police force was misused and sent them for AAP meetings and filed false and baseless cases against the leaders. “However, the court dismissed all the cases and in fact reprimanded the police,” he said.
Raghav asked the BJP not to think that AAP is like the Congress of that Arvind Kejriwal is like Rahul Gandhi who will get intimidated by such pressure tactics.
He said the Vij Andolan has revealed that people in Goa are fed up with the high electricity bills and want power as provided by AAP in Delhi. Besides he said even during the pandemic when people have lost jobs or business is down, they have been given high electricity bills. “While in Delhi people consuming up to 200 units of power get zero bill while in Goa even for using Zero units of power people have to pay electricity fees,” he said.
He said many people have joined AAP during the Vij Andolan which has also revealed that AAP has turned to be the hope of Goans and replying to a question said he was confident this hope will translate in votes to enable AAP to form the government in Goa at the 2022 elections.
He said 1.65 lakh Goans have pledged support to AAP through the missed call, over 73 thousand people personally through calls while 2.62 lakh people filled up the forms for the referendum.
He reiterated his earlier announcement that AAP when it forms the next government in Goa will provide up to 200 units of power free of cost to consumers and give a rebate of 50 per cent on bill for those consuming 200 to 400 units of power.
Replying to a question he said that power bills has become a major issue in Goa which is faced with other problems including unemployment and said that power billing cycle will be changed to give bills for 30 days only.
He said it was unfortunate that Goa has become a land where politics of merger and acquisition dominates and pointed out that BJP has acquired MLAs who were elected on the Congress ticket. “Besides two sons of one MLA have also joined the BJP thus establishing that BJP and Congress are joined at the hip,” he said.
He said Goa is governed by an illegitimate government as it is the Bharatiya Janata Congress Party that is ruling Goa since 12 of the ruling MLA were elected as Congress MLA and added that both the BJP and Congress are morally, ethically, administratively, politically and financially corrupt and pointed out that Goans hate corruption and cheating.
He said the only industry that appears to be flourishing in Goa was the horse trading industry as the politics of mergers and acquisition thrives in this tiny land. “Just check that the government has done since it was elected. Though they had promised lakhs of jobs not a single one has been given as yet,” said Raghav.
While dismissing the charge of former convener Elvis Gomes that Aam Aadmi Party is the B team of Bharatiya Janata Party AAP MLA Raghav Chadha pointed out that this allegation has been made anywhere and everywhere and thanked Elvis for his services to the party but refused to make any other comment.
“We have no ill feelings towards anybody and are very grateful for all the work that they did for AAP when they were with the party,” he said when asked about Elvis Gomes’ statement on quitting the party.
“The allegations made against AAP are baseless, unfounded and absolutely fabricated,” he said while pointing out that it was not a matter concerning individuals but the cause they were fighting for which was providing a corruption free government.
Replying to a question he said that in 2013 when elections were held in Delhi nobody including the media believed that AAP would form the government as had happened and said Goans wanted free electricity and wanted AAP to form the next government to give it to them.
“In 2022 AAP will be the most powerful, popular, mature, seasoned and actual voice of the people of Goa and we are seen as the ray of hope by Goans,” he said stating the grounds on which AAP is confident of forming the next government in Goa.
Replying to another question he said AAP stands by the farmers in their fight against the Modi government and its anti farmers legislations and said the party was also supporting the all India bandh call given by the farmers.
“The government should listen to the farmers as they are not terrorists but are the bread providers for all of us,” he said asserting that the farmers demand sought to be accepted by the government.
AAP Goa convener Rahul Mhambre pointed out that AAP had supported the farmers right from the beginning and lamented.
