AAP will contest on all the 40 seats of the Goa assembly, Arvind Kejriwal said.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener Arvind Kejriwal has ruled out the possibility of a pre-poll alliance with the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) in Goa, but said he may think of tie-ups with non-BJP outfits post-results if the ensuing assembly elections throw up a fractured mandate in the coastal state.
He said the AAP will contest on all the 40 seats of the Goa assembly and the party's chief ministerial candidate will be declared in time to come.
The Delhi chief minister praised BJP stalwart late Manohar Parrikar and said those who are feeling "suffocated" in the state's ruling party can join the AAP.
Talking to PTI during his visit, Mr Kejriwal said his party may go for post-poll tie-ups with non-BJP outfits in Goa if there is a fractured mandate and "if it is very necessary".
"Post-elections, if it is a fractured (verdict) and it is very necessary, we may ally with non-BJP parties,” Mr Kejriwal said.
The Delhi chief minister ruled out the possibility of a pre-poll alliance with the Trinamool, whose chairperson Mamata Banerjee is projecting the opposition alliance led by her party as the main anti-BJP bloc in Goa.
The Trinamool has tied up with Goa's regional outfit MGP for the polls due in early 2022.
“Why should we go in for an alliance with the TMC in Goa? We are not forging an alliance with them,” the AAP leader asserted.
Mr Kejriwal said there is "no understanding, discussions...nothing is happening" with the Trinamool from the AAP's side.
Pointed out that he had once referred Ms Banerjee as like his elder sister, Mr Kejriwal said, “I had said Mamata didi was like my elder sister, but that does not mean we will have an alliance with her in Goa.” “I have several elder sisters, elder brothers in the country, I don't have alliance with everyone of them. Political alliance is something different,” he stated.
Asked whether he considers the Trinamool as a 'like-minded' party, the 53-year-old bureaucrat-turned-politician said, “It's not about that. There are so many like- minded people. There is nothing of the TMC in Goa.” Mr Kejriwal said the AAP has no tolerance for corruption and money that would come in the state coffers would be diverted for welfare of the people of Goa like it is happening in Delhi if his party comes to power here.
Asked about the BJP's statement of the AAP-ruled Delhi being a "half state", the CM said, “If Delhi was a full state, we could have given more things free.” “If we can handle health and education, we can also handle police and land (which fall in the Centre's domain). It is not a rocket science to run a government,” he said.
Mr Kejriwal said the only thing that is required to run a government is to have clean intentions.
He described former Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar as one of the great leaders.
“Late Manohar Parrikar's ideology has been discarded by the BJP. It is shameful that his son has to plead to the party for a ticket (to contest polls),” he said.
Mr Kejriwal said, “Those who are thinking that the BJP has neglected the legacy of Parrikar and are feeling suffocated (in the saffron outfit) can join the AAP.” PTI RPS RSY RSY
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)