AAP attacks Parrikar over corruption, faking simplicity

Panaji, March 29 (IANS) The AAP Saturday hit out Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, accusing him of corruption and faking simplicity.

Addressing the Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) first major meeting here, senior leader Manish Sisodia told the gathering that there was nothing much to choose between a scam-ridden Digambar Kamat-led Congress government or a lobby-driven Parrikar-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government.

"Manohar Parrikar's government is run by casino operators and the mining lobby. Even the most basic promises made by him like instituting a good Lokpal have not been implemented by the BJP government here," he said, terming the BJP and the Congress were two sides of the same coin.

Sisodia also questioned Parrikar's climbdown on the illegal mining issue.

"Parrikar went to Delhi to meet the president accusing the Congress of a Rs.25,000 crore scam. Why is there no action against illegal mining now? Why is he going soft on them now?" he asked.

Accusing Parrikar of being in cahoots with the casino lobby, Sisodia said that the logic of banning Goans, and allowing Indians from other parts of the country to gamble in casinos was warped.

"What kind of a nationalist party is this? Which wants rest of India to gamble but keep Goans away from casinos? Shouldn't a national party look after the interests of the average Indian and stop him from gambling away his money?" he said.

The AAP leader, who was also a minister in the 49-day AAP government in Delhi also accused Parrikar of faking simplicity by questioning why the Goa chief minister chose to buy an expensive car for official use.

"So Mr.Parrikar believes in simplicity? So why did he buy such an expensive car?" said Sisodia, in a bitter attack on Parrikar, who the BJP has been projecting as the party's own answer to Arvind Kejriwal's simplicity.

Parrikar's ride to work and home is a swanky white Hyundai SUV, Santa Fe which costs upwards of Rs.23.60 lakh.

The meeting was attended by both the AAP candidates for the North Goa and South Goa seats -Dattaram Desai and Swati Kerkar.

Interestingly, more than a week after popstar Remo Fernandes announced that he would stop actively working for AAP, the party managed a coup of sorts Saturday by getting Remo's sister Belinda Fernandes, also a popular singer, on stage to whip up melody and rhythm for the public meeting.