BJP questions Congress’ charge of commercialising democracy in Goa

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, Mar 14, 2017 : BJP has taken umbrage to a remark by Ivan D’Souza, chief whip of the government in the council that the saffron outfit has "commercialized democracy" in Goa. Questioning Ivan, former minister Kota Srinivas Poojary reminded Ivan about how the Congress too had ’subverted democracy’ by forming an alliance with the JD(S) to ensure that BJP despite emerging the largest party could not take over reign of state’s largest civic body - the BBMP.

 

Questioning Ivan on what type of democracy the above example cited by him fell into, Kota said the Congress had done the same in Delhi assembly as well where it joined hands with Aam Admi Party (AAP) to keep the BJP that had emerged then as the largest single party away from power. The BJP had won 32 seats in the 70-member Delhi assembly in a fractured verdict that the voters had given. Yet, the Congress with 21 seats teamed up with AAP to deny BJP.


The BJP has merely followed the same model that the Congress did in BBMP and in Delhi in the past to deny the ’grand old party’ in Goa and Manipur, Srinivas Poojary said. Wondering how the move by BJP to form a government with help from duly elected representatives - independents and others can be termed commercialization of democracy, Srinivas Poojary said the Congress has a lot of soul searching to do after its poor show in the recently assembly polls.


Dismissing talk by Congress leadership that a Modi wave was non-existent and other factors aided its win, Srinivas Poojary said even the minorities in India’s biggest state - Uttar Pradesh had reposed their faith in the BJP. If the Congress which bagged seats fewer that BJPs ally - Apna Dal in UP still considers itself to be a political force, then one must truly laud Ivan’s comment, Srinivas Poojary said adding demonetization has also changed the way parties approach polls.

Courtesy:TOI