Kejriwal, Goa CM cross swords over 'third-class politicians' comment
The Aam Aadmi Party is aggressively working to increase its presence in Goa for next year's Assembly elections. AAP chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was in Goa earlier this month and promised each family in the coastal state will get up to 300 units of electricity free per month if AAP is voted to power in the state Assembly elections. Kejriwal had also chided the BJP and opposition Congress for the rampant horse-trading seen in Goa politics over the years.
On Monday, the power ministers of Goa and Delhi engaged in a debate at an auditorium in Panaji. Goa Power Minister Nilesh Cabral accused the AAP of trying to hoodwink people with the promise of free power. In response, Delhi Power Minister Satyendar Jain accused the BJP of unethical politics and exclaimed "Goa is first class, but people who I spoke to said that the politicians are third class.”
The remark provoked outrage in the BJP government. Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant tweeted, "AAP has always indulged in cheap politics through constant protests and theatrics. But to say Goans are third class politicians is an insult to great sons-of-the-soil like Bhausaheb Bandodkar, Jack Sequeira, Manohar Bhai Parrikar, Rajendra Arlekar or Shripad Bhau Naik."
Sawant added, "AAP is free to create hype for their political benefit but to come to Goa and insult our leaders is unacceptable."
On Tuesday, Arvind Kejriwal defended the remark by Satyendar Jain. Kejriwal accused Sawant of insulting the memory of "political greats" by equating them with current politicians.
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Kejriwal tweeted, "Pramodbab, by comparing present set of politicians to such political greats, you are insulting them. Current BJP neither has the greatness of Bhausaheb Bandodkar, integrity of Dr. Jack Sequeira or vision of Manohar Parrikar." He added, "Bhausaheb Bandodkar has been insulted by the way MLAs have been bought and sold. Dr. Jack Sequeira didn’t fight to see Goan votes being bought and sold. Manohar Parrikar didn’t work tirelessly to see congress MLAs being bought wholesale."
Parrikar had served as defence minister of the country and also chief minister of Goa. Sequeira was a prominent Goan politician and is widely considered to be the father of the Opinion Poll, which led to the former Union territory attaining statehood in 1987. Bandodkar was the first chief minister of Goa.
