Kejriwal alleges 'BJP-Congress alliance' in Goa; says AAP will form govt after 2027 polls

Arvind Kejriwal

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convenor Arvind Kejriwal has said his party will form a government in Goa on its own after the 2027 assembly polls.

Kejriwal, who arrived here on a three-day visit on Friday, said people have lost faith in the ruling BJP and opposition Congress.

Addressing media persons outside Dabolim Airport, Kejriwal said, "The BJP has been ruling Goa for the last 13 years. The Congress has been supporting the BJP to form the government by providing MLAs," he said.

Referring to the attack on social activist Rama Kankonkar, he said it is not an isolated incident.

"Those who speak against the government are suppressed. The law and order situation has plummeted, there are illegal constructions everywhere, there is illegal mining, women are not finding themselves safe," the former Delhi chief minister claimed.

"People of Goa want women's safety and also basic facilities. It is their basic right. AAP will form the government in 2027 on its own," he added.

Kejriwal, who arrived at Dabolim Airport around 9 pm, was received by Delhi's Leader of Opposition, Atishi Marlena, and the party's state unit chief Amit Palekar.

Earlier, in a post on X ahead of his arrival, Kejriwal alleged there was a "BJP-Congress alliance" in Goa and said that the two national outfits had subjected the coastal state to "corruption, violence and gundaraj" for the past 13 years.

He accused the BJP government of presiding over illegal construction, unauthorised iron ore mining, frequent power cuts, unemployment, and a decline in tourism, a key source of revenue for the state.

"Goa has witnessed massive illegal construction, illegal mining, insane amount of corruption, violence, state-sponsored gundaraj (rule of goons), deteriorating law and order, high crime rate, potholed roads, crimes against women, frequent power cuts, massive unemployment, a sharp decline in tourism and an assault on Goan culture," Kejriwal maintained.

Under the present administration, an average Goan is living in constant fear, claimed the bureaucrat-turned-politician, a former Congress ally.

Anyone who dares to speak against the government is "threatened or attacked" and life in Goa has become a "daily torture" under the current dispensation, he alleged.

Kejriwal asserted that AAP leaders and volunteers were "courageously raising their voice on behalf of Goans against the BJP-Congress alliance's gundaraj".

A senior party functionary said Kejriwal will be visiting Mayem assembly constituency on Saturday at 11 am to inaugurate an AAP office.

He will later meet South Goa volunteers in the Curtorim assembly in South Goa at 3.30 pm. He will address a meeting of North Goa volunteers in Mapusa town on Sunday at 3.30 pm.

He will conclude his Goa visit on Monday at 11 am by participating in a campaign highlighting the poor road conditions in the state, the functionary said.