Panaji: Breaking his silence for the first time since his switch over to BJP from Congress, Deputy Chief Minister Chandrakant Kavlekar on Saturday said that latter is always busy in spreading rumours that former is a communal political outfit, which is absolutely a wrong notion.
Kavlekar was speaking in Prime TV’s flagship political program “Prime Rajkaran” hosted by senior journalist Rupesh Samant.
“I have spent my twenty two years of political career in Congress. The Congress leaders are always busy spreading wrong notion about BJP that it is a communal party. They keep on hammering this thought in the mind of their leaders,” said Kavlekar, who was Leader of Opposition in Goa Legislative Assembly before changing their party loyalty.
Kavlekar’s comments comes at the backdrop of current debate on Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and NRC.
Kavlekar said on Saturday that when he and his other colleagues including eight of them from Christian faith joined BJP, the picture was actually different.
“We were welcomed at the first minute itself. BJP is not a communal but a party that takes along everyone. It’s a pro-development party,” he said.
Kavlekar also said that some leaders within Congress unit of Goa are busy in fulfilling their “own interests” due to which they were not able to form the government in Goa despite getting majority seats in 2017 elections.
Congress had won on 17 seats while BJP on 13 during 2017 Goa Assembly election but Amit Shah led party managed to form the government with the help of allies including Goa Forward Party, Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party and Independents.
Kavlekar alleged that “some senior leaders in Congress, who have enjoyed their share of power, are unwilling to let others prosper.”
The Deputy Chief Minister said that all the ten MLAs who have switched over their political affiliation from Congress are going to continue in BJP till their political retirement.
