Insult for Goan political stalwarts to be compared with current lot: Kejriwal

New Delhi: Hitting back at his Goa counterpart, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday said it is an insult for Goan political giants like Bhausaheb Bandodkar, Jack Sequeira and Manohar Parrikar to be compared with the current set of politicians who are being bought and sold “wholesale”.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and Delhi Power Minister Satyender Jain on Monday termed politicians in Goa as “third class”, inviting a sharp reaction from Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, who said the remark was an “insult” to sons of soils such as late Parrikar and Sequeira.

“AAP has always indulged in cheap politics through constant protests and theatrics. But to say Goans are third class politicians is an insult to great sons-of-the-soil like Bhausaheb Bandodkar, Jack Sequeira, Manohar Bhai Parrikar, Rajendra Arlekar or Shripad Bhau Naik,” Sawant said in a tweet.

In response, Kejriwal tweeted: “Pramodbab, by comparing present set of politicians to such political greats, you are insulting them. Current BJP neither has the greatness of Bhausaheb Bandodkar, integrity of Dr. Jack Sequeira or vision of Manohar Parrikar.”

“Bhausaheb Bandodkar has been insulted by the way MLAs have been bought and sold. Dr. Jack Sequeira didn”t fight to see Goan votes being bought and sold. Manohar Parrikar didn”t work tirelessly to see Congress MLAs being bought wholesale,” the AAP national convenor said in another tweet.

Parrikar had served as the defence minister and also as the chief minister of Goa. Sequeira was a prominent Goan politician and is widely considered to be the Father of the Opinion Poll, which led to the former Union Territory attaining statehood in 1987. Bandodkar was the first chief minister of Goa.

Jain, while participating in a public debate with his Goa counterpart Nilesh Cabral here, said Goan politicians are “third class” and appealed to people to elect “first-class” politicians in the Assembly polls due next year.

Cabral and Jain debated on the AAP”s promise of free electricity for up to 300 units if the Kejriwal-led party is voted to power in Goa.