Rupesh Samant

Panaji, May 11: Congress in Goa on Friday alleged that the BJP was raising issue like criminal background of its candidate for Panaji by-election as the latter could sense the defeat starring at them.

Goa Pradesh Congress Committee President Girish Chodankar told a press conference that BJP candidate Siddharth Kunkolienkar has lost the acceptability amongst the voters due to which his party was involved in mud slinging against Congress candidate Atanasio Monserratte.

Monserratte was booked for raping a girl in the year 2016, while there are several other cases pending against him including attack on Panaji Police Station.

In the run up for May 19 Panaji by-election, BJP has been raising the criminal cases against Monserratte as an election plank.

Chodankar said that BJP was trying to divert the attention of voters with the issue of criminal background, while they are not able to respond to the valid questions raised by Congress against them.

“We had asked questions on the corruption in smart city project and also failure of BJP to govern the constituency for last 25 years. But those questions are not being answered,” he said.

The Congress leader said that BJP, which has been accusing Monserratte to be criminal, had inducted him in Manohar Parrikar-led cabinet in the year 2002 and even in the year 2017 he was given the post of Chairman of Greater Panaji Planning and Development Authority, an agency of the State government.