'BJP misrule in Goa also helped Congress in Karnataka'

Goa also could have played a small part in the BJP's rout in neighbouring Karnataka, state Congress president Subhash Shirodkar said Wednesday.

"The questionable nature of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rule here, in which issues like mining and garbage were not handled properly, has certainly reflected in the results of constituencies bordering Goa," Shirodkar said about the Congress winning 121 of the 223 seats in the Karnataka legislative assembly, routing the ruling BJP.

Shirodkar said that a controversial entry fee that has been imposed on all vehicles entering Goa, including those from Karnataka, could have caused feeling of illwill about the BJP's rule.

Barring a seat in Dharwad district, the BJP failed to win a seat in any of the constituencies bordering the state in which several BJP legislators as well as Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar had campaigned.

"Everyone in Karnataka who comes to Goa, especially from the border areas, is agitated by this entry tax, which in itself is illegal," Shirodkar said.

The BJP-led Goa government has erected toll booths on its borders to collect entry fee, a measure which Parrikar said was necessary since the state coffers are depleted because the mining ban has caused a shortfall in revenue.

Three-wheelers entering Goa are being charged Rs.100, tempos Rs.500, four-wheelers Rs.250 and heavy vehicles are charged upwards of Rs.500.

Shirodkar said BJP leader and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi had failed to click in Karnataka, while the magic of Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi did work.