Goa polls: Open to forming govt with like-minded people, says Amit Palekar

Confident that AAP will wipe out Goa’s debt while also doling out freebies to the people, its chief ministerial candidate Amit Palekar tells Newton Sequeira that the party is here to stay.
You have been trying to position yourself as an alternative to BJP. But on the ground, you have only created a split in non-BJP votes, giving BJP the edge. How do you justify this stance?
There are two parties that say AAP is a vote-splitter.The fact is that they are scared. AAP has come as an alternative that is honest, has a vision and is giving guarantees. Our enemy is not BJP, it is corruption. So now, it’s time for people to realise what is the most efficient alternative.
You have always said AAP is a party with a difference but by playing the caste card, you have taken Goan politics on a tangent. Do you still think you can position yourself as a party with a difference?
We are only taking away the injustice being done to these communities. For 60 years, a particular community has not been given any responsibility or any responsible position, and parties believe they don’t have the capabilities. That is caste politics. Congress always banked on Catholic voters whom they ditched. But 15 of the Congress MLAs left and joined BJP, which the Catholics never voted for. That is divisive politics where you get elected here, you disregard the voter, and then you jump into another party.
The CAG says Goa has an outstanding debt of Rs 23,473 crore, including off-budget borrowings, and most of these loans have to be repaid between 2022 and 2024. But you have been offering freebies without considering the financial implications. How do you propose to manage this fiscal situation?
I will give you a simple example. When AAP took over the government in Delhi, it was under similar debts. The budget was about Rs 27,000 crore. Today, the Delhi government budget is about Rs 67,000 crore. It is the only government in profit. It is a government that gives benefits of electricity and other free things to the people. In Delhi, where per capita spending is Rs 40,000 and all this is being given, imagine Goa which has a Rs 21,000 crore budget and per capita spending is Rs 1 lakh plus. Yet we are not able to give whatever needs to be given.
In Delhi, money has been saved and the benefit has been passed on to the people. So with a budget like ours, I think we can still give more freebies. If politicians are entitled to free electricity, why not the people of Goa? It is achievable but you need to stop corruption.
How important are these elections for you and Goa?
I think this is the last chance for Goa to save what is left of Goa. Another five years of any of these parties, whether it’s BJP or Congress, and Goa is going to go further down the drain. Why are people leaving Goa, their parents, wives and children and going to London? We want that lost talent to come back and be a part of our system here.
Is your party here for the long term in Goa?
Our party is here to stay, to work for Goa. Goa’s future is AAP. We are going to build it and we are going to take our voices to assembly one way or another. If we have to sit in opposition, we will do it.
Will you be able to form the government by yourself? In case of a hung House and provided you win some seats, would you be open to supporting any party, including BJP, to form a government?
We do not know right now. In the event of a fractured mandate, in the worst-case scenario, options could be open to forming the government with like-minded people but certainly and absolutely not with BJP. We would rather sit in opposition than have an alliance with BJP.