Goa: TMC terms meeting between Rahul Gandhi and GFP MLAs 'unholy alliance'

Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Wednesday dubbed "unholy alliance" the meeting between two MLAs of the Goa Forward Party (GFP) with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi at his residence in Delhi.

GFP MLAs Vijay Sardesai and Vinod Palyekar, and independent legislator Prasad Gaonkar, had met Gandhi on Tuesday and alleged that the BJP government in Goa was "corrupt" after they extended their support to Congress to defeat BJP in the next year's assembly polls. This meeting fuelled speculation about a possible alliance between GFP and Congress.

On Tuesday, something happened which every Goan should think about. Vijai Sardesai, who heads Goa Forward Party, is in talks with Congress yet again and announced a possible alliance for the Goa elections, TMC MP Mahua Moitra told reporters.

She said BJP had come to power in Goa after the 2017 Assembly polls even though it had won 13 seats due to this "unholy alliance".

TMC had announced to contest the maiden assembly elections in Goa.

The GFP had entered into a deal with BJP and allowed them to form a government even when people had not given them the mandate, she added.

Hitting back, Sardesai said that all those who are serious and sincere about defeating BJP should come together and fight on the common platform of Team Goa.

Sardesai claimed the TMC high-command had directed the only MLA of that party to support BJP in 2017 because of which Manipur's first BJP government under Biren Singh came to power even though the people did not want the BJP.

What people conveniently forget is that the last time we didn't have a pre-poll alliance with Congress in Goa. We fought them in our constituencies. This time, this unity is a message from the top-most level to all those who are serious and sincere about defeating BJP to come together and fight on the common platform of Team Goa, he said.

Sardesai said GFP supports Congress' endeavour to create a united opposition to take on the BJP at the national level.

In a veiled attack on TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, Sardesai claimed the TMC kept away from signing a joint statement by Opposition parties on Tuesday because it doesn't serve someone's ambitions.

This is selfishness at the cost of opposition unity. Who benefits? The same party which benefits by splitting anti-BJP votes in Goa, he said.