Ahead of Goa polls, Shiv Sena calls BJP real ‘beef party’, will field candidates on 22 seats

Ahead of the Goa Assembly elections, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said that the party will take the failure and “politics of falsehood” of the BJP government to the people

Shiv Sena has decided to take on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Goa in the Assembly polls next year and will field candidates on 22 seats in the state. Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said that the party will take the failure and “politics of falsehood” of the BJP government to the people. The Sena mouthpiece Saamana slammed the BJP over cow slaughter in Goa, stating that it is the “real beef party”.

Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut, who is on a two-day visit to the state, attacked BJP stating that the party led an anti-casino campaign in Goa, but is now supporting it the most. (PTI)

Raut, who is on a two-day visit to the state, attacked BJP stating that the party led an anti-casino campaign in Goa, but is now supporting it the most. He also said that many villages and tourist spots in the state are in the clutches of drugs and narcotic substances.

“Daily the Goa government comes up with a new lie. Goa is a huge tourist destination, but many villages and beaches are now in the clutches of drugs. Bharatiya Janata Party campaigned against casinos [in Goa] and came to power and grew. Today, they are supporting the casinos... this is politics of falsehood, that needs to come to the knowledge of the people. We will take these issues to the people,” Raut said on Wednesday.

Raut is expected to meet party officials in Goa to discuss the roadmap for the Assembly polls, slated to be held in February-March 2022. He could also meet up with regional parties to forge an alliance for the election. He, however, iterated that the party would go solo if the alliance does not materialise. “We are going to contest on 22 seats. Whether an alliance happens or not, we are going forward with our plan. If somebody joins hands with us, well and good, if not, then we have the capability to go solo. We have voters in 32 assembly segments,” Raut said.

The party is expected to take the Hindutva line and Marathi language as its agenda for the upcoming polls. Slamming the BJP government in Goa, the editorial in Saamana on Wednesday said, “It is the BJP [in Goa] which has truly become a ‘beef party and ‘Hindutva’ is just a mask. When there is a ban on beef in the country, but in Goa, you get cow meat. If this isn’t sham, then what is?”

Raut added that Maharashtra and Goa have linguistic and cultural ties. “Balasaheb also went there to campaign. Though we have not got success there we do have our organisation there. Many parties are not entering Goa, including Aam Aadmi Party and Trinamool Congress. Goa and Maharashtra have always had ties. We share the same language and culture.”

In an indirect attack on BJP, the Sena MP said, “Today the situation is such in Goa that nobody can say which legislator will go where after getting elected from one party. The people of Goa are also fed up. They vote for one party, the legislator jumps to other parties.” Raut was referring to several Congress legislators joining BJP after the 2017 election in the state.