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Updated October 27th, 2021 at 07:52 IST

Congress' Dinesh Gundu Rao accuses TMC of poaching people in Goa; equates it with BJP

Ahead of the 2022 Goa Assembly polls, the Congress party's Goa state in-charge Dinesh Gundu Rao attacked the Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Tuesday. 

Reported by: Shloak Prabhu
TMC
Image: ANI/PTI | Image:self
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Ahead of the 2022 Goa Assembly polls, the Congress party's Goa state in-charge Dinesh Gundu Rao attacked the Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Tuesday. Dinesh Gundu Rao has compared the Mamata Banerjee-led party with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and alleged it of indulging in unethical politics. Rao has claimed that the TMC is distributing cash to people to 'buy votes'. This comes after the TMC recently kicked off it preparations for the Goa elections. 

The Congress leader attacked the TMC and said that it is not following its own fundamental principles on which the party was formed. He claimed that TMC leaders are instead 'landing in choppers with cash'. In addition, he also alleged that Mamata Banerjee's party is trying to poach people. Dinesh Gundu Rao further slammed the TMC and stated that it is avert to following the principles of democracy. The Congress leader also asserted that the party's election practices do not look like a 'good democracy'. Rao's remarks come after the TMC welcomed several leaders from other parties ahead of the Goa polls, including former Congress leader and ex-Chief Minister Luizinho Faleiro. 

"TMC is using money power in the state to buy votes. Trinamool means grass-root politics. Trinamool means to come from below. But in Goa, they are landing on choppers, with money, trying to poach and defect people from other parties especially congress. This is not from the grass-root. I respect them but what they are doing here is what the BJP does," said Dinesh Gundu Rao 

"They are coming with huge money power and trying to buy peoples' votes. They are offering money to people, trying to poach people. What kind of grass-root politics is TMC practising? They are practising the most unethical politics. It is completely unhealthy," the AICC in-charge of Goa added 

Dinesh Gundu Rao on Congress - TMC alliance for Goa polls 

Speaking to ANI, the Congress leader also answered on the TMC considering forging an alliance with Congress. However, he claimed that the Mamata Banerjee-led party is making an attempt to ally with the Congress. However, Rao did not explictly talk about the likelihood of alliance between the two parties. Instead, he questioned TMC's purpose for contesting the Goa polls. 

"They are making an attempt (for alliance). I don't know why they have come there (Goa) and for what purpose. The way they are going is something that I would say is not good democracy." said Dinesh Gundu Rao 

Rao's statement comes after the TMC announced that they will fight Assembly polls alone in Goa. Earlier, Congress General Secretary Randeep Surjewala had attacked the TMC and alleged that the latter is practicing 'election tourism'. Surjewala maintained that the Congress has been at the helm of the fight against the Narendra Modi-government.

"Congress has fought the Narendra Modi-government continuously for the last seven years without bowing down and repressing. We accept our responsibility. We have suffered many atrocities and the Election department of the Modi government i.e. ED, CBI and IT continuously attacked but we endured. Sometimes small political parties get nervous but we do not have any hatred for them and we are still with them. TMC had contested assembly elections in Goa even 5 years ago but then disappeared. Isn't it election tourism? But such parties look inside themselves and see if they are not supporting BJP."

Goa's political scenario 

In the 2017 Assembly elections in Goa, Congress won the highest 17 seats in the 40-member House, restricting the BJP to 13. However, surprising the Congress, the saffron party allied with regional parties and formed the government under the leadership of senior leader Manohar Parrikar. AAP has already thrown its hat in the ring ahead of the polls, with the party's national convener Kejriwal announcing free power up to 300 units per month and 80% jobs for locals if his party is voted to power during his recent visit to Panaji. Additionally, Mamata Banerjee's TMC is also eyeing the Goa polls and recently inducted former Goa Chief Minister and ex-Congress leader Luizinho Faleiro into the party.   

With ANI inputs 

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Published October 27th, 2021 at 07:52 IST

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