Aam Admi Party’s Goa secretary and the AAP’s Panjim candidate Valmiki Naik spoke candidly to The Sunday Guardian over telephone from Goa about the AAP’s election agenda in Goa which is slated to go to polls early next year. Excerpts:
Q: What are the major issues that the AAP is likely to contest the elections in Goa on?
A: The issues on which we will contest the elections are being told to us by the people of Goa through the “Goa Dialogue” process that is being held in every constituency. So far, we have had 150 “Goa Dialogue” meetings where people have been raising basic issues that have been missed out by most of the political parties who have been using divisive issues. Major issues such as corruption, roads, jobs, healthcare, education, water and electricity are being raised by the people. All these issues will feature in our election manifesto.
Q: Goa thrives on tourism, but the AAP has repeatedly spoken against the tourist culture in Goa, about the banning of casinos, regulating alcohol sales, etc. What will be AAP’s policy on tourism in Goa?
A: The present as well as the previous governments have not spent much time and effort to understand the “carrying capacity” of Goa. Yes, Goa’s strength is as a tourist destination, but the political parties here have taken an easy way out by allowing some casinos who donate to their parties and pay some few crores as taxes. What they have done is made Goa into a casino destination. But we want to get away from the casino culture, we are not Las Vegas, we are Goa. We want to make Goa a family holiday destination and not one known for casinos, gambling and drugs. We want to change the branding of Goa from a sin city like Las Vegas.
Q: So, will you ban casinos if voted to power?
A: Our “Goa Dialogue” process is on. We have got a lot of feedback from people on casinos. We would be declaring our final stand soon. But definitely, the casino culture of Goa is tarnishing its image.
Q: Who would be the AAP’s main opponent in the run-up to the elections in Goa? And would you go for any alliance?
A: The direct fight here will be with the incumbent BJP government. The Congress is not even in the picture and I believe the Congress here will also be reduced to a zero, as was the case in Delhi.
As far as alliance is concerned, there is no such party in Goa that matches our ideology and therefore, there shall not be any pre-poll or post-poll alliance in Goa. Even if we get 19 seats, we will be a responsible opposition.
Q: Who would be your CM candidate?
A: We have already declared 15 candidates out of 40 seats and within those 15 candidates, there are many who could be projected as CM candidate. Let us wait for all 40 to be declared. But, we will declare a CM candidate before we go to polls.