PANAJI: Refuting allegations about Congress
ideology
pervading
BJP due to
Congress MLAs joining the party, Goa BJP election in-charge Devendra
Fadnavis on Thursday said BJP has done ‘Bhajaapakaran’ of the
Congressmen
in its fold and there is no ‘Congressikaran’ of BJP.
“We cannot become Congress. In 2017, a different political situation was created in Goa and we formed the government. After it was realised that we have a stable government, 10 Congress MLAs
joined
BJP, among others,” he said.
While many Congressmen joined BJP, the latter has not left its ideology, he said. “We have not changed as BJP and that is the reason I can confidently say that we have tried to make them ‘Bhajapa’. We will not allow ‘Congressikaran’ of BJP,” he said.
The cadre-based BJP has given candidature to over 25% former Congressmen who have neither been a part of BJP nor have contested as BJP candidates.
The 10 former Congress members who will contest as BJP candidates include Nilkanth Halarnkar (Tivim), Atanasio Monserrate (Panaji), Jennifer Monserrate (Taleigao), Francisco Silveira (St Andre), Antonio Fernandes (Santa Cruz), Clafasio Dias (Cuncolim), Chandrakant Kavlekar (Quepem), Ravi Naik (Ponda), Savio Rodrigues (Velim) and Joseph Sequeira (Calangute).