It’s AAP v/s all others in Goa, Punjab: Arvind Kejriwal

Panaji: Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday said there would be “bipolar” fight in Punjab and Goa in the Legislative Assembly polls.

“It is not a four-cornered contest, it is a bi-polar contest in Punjab and Goa. On one side all the parties and against them is AAP. This is a dharma-yuddha,” Mr Kejriwal said, addressing a rally in Benaulim Assembly constituency near here.

The Congress and the BJP were playing a “friendly match,” he said. “BJP had promised to take action against corrupt Congressmen during 2012 Goa polls, but after they won the election, they did nothing. Congress too sat at home and didn’t act like Opposition for five years. This is the time to spoil their friendly match,” said the national convener of AAP.

“They have got together to stop AAP from winning because if we win, the corrupt leaders from BJP and Congress will go to jail. The two parties are fighting the elections in sync. This is not just happening in Goa, this is also happening in Punjab,” Mr Kejriwal said.

AAP will revoke the ticket of any of its 36 candidates in Goa if he or she was found guilty of corruption, crime, communal behaviour or tainted character, he said. “If any of our candidates is found guilty on these four parameters and if there is any strong prima facie evidence, we will cancel their ticket even 24 hours before the poll. We will keep the seat empty but won’t let a wrong candidate contest on our ticket,” he said. In Goa, the AAP had offered a clean face as chief ministerial candidate in Elvis Gomes against the chief minister Laxmikant Parsekar, Mr Kejriwal said.

The BJP government was trying to harass Gomes by filing fake cases with Anti Corruption Bureau against him, he alleged.

“I was told on Friday that Elvis Gomes would be arrested before I land here. I said if that happens I will meet Elvis in jail,” Mr Kejriwal said.