Goa: Congress demands Amit Shah's apology

Congress' Girish Chodankar said that the BJP had formed the government in the state by means of 'back-door-entry'.

Panaji, Mar 30: All India Congress Committee secretary Girish Chodankar has demanded that BJP president Amit Shah tender an apology to the electorate in Goa for dishonouring the people's mandate and forming a government against their wishes.

"Shah should apologise to the people of Goa for forcefully forming the government against the mandate of the people. His party was rejected but managed to have a back-door entry to form the government," Chodankar told reporters here last evening.

The Congress leader was reacting to BJP'’s public meeting scheduled on April 9, which will felicitate Shah after BJP secured power in four of the five states which went to polls recently. This would be Shah's first visit to Goa after the February 4 Legislative Assembly elections. More than 30,000 people are expected to participate in this meeting.

"BJP has no right to celebrate as they were pulled down from 21 seats, which they won in 2012 Goa polls, to mere 13 in the recently held assembly elections. This clearly indicates that the party has been outrightly rejected and leaders like Shah were not accepted by Goan voters," Chodankar said.

He said the BJP should introspect on its defeat and also learn lessons from his party which has been gaining ground in the state.

"Voters selected Congress during recent polls. Congress would have formed the government but for the misuse of the Governor's post," he alleged.

After the Goa election results threw a hung assembly, Congress emerged as the single largest party with 17 seats. However, the BJP, which finished second winning 13 seats, managed to form the government under Manohar Parrikar after cobbling together an alliance with regional parties like Goa Forward and Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party besides getting three Independent MLAs to back them.

PTI