Kamat, who is heading the party’s campaign in Goa, said the BJP will face defeat in the polls and the entry of the ruling party’s ‘B’ teams – All India Trinamool Congress and Aam Aadmi Party – will not help it split the votes as citizens have become aware of why these parties have joined the fray.
“The anti-BJP votes won’t split between the AITC and AAP because the people are not prepared to vote for these parties, they (people) have realized the real game of these parties, which is to help the BJP,” Kamat said.
“We have told the people of Goa that it is in their interest to get a clear mandate. The people have decided that a single party should be ruling the state. We will get a complete majority,” he added.
According to Kamat, the Trinamool Congress, which has been poaching Congress leaders, is now running a rudderless campaign.
“West Bengal chief minister (and Trinamool chief) Mamata Banerjee is not coming to campaign in Goa anymore; it clearly indicates that they too know how the results are going to be,” Kamat said.
On why he thinks the BJP would face a rout, the former CM said: “This government has failed on all fronts. They claim this is a double-engine government. They shut down the Goan economy by closing down mining; it hurt industries, truck companies, and everyone dependent on mining and the entire state has suffered.”
No government in the country closes down a thriving business, he said. “Suppose there are irregularities in a business, then you make laws stricter, you cannot close down any business simply because there are irregularities in it,” he added.
On Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent speech targeting former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru for the delay in Goa achieving independence from Portuguese rule, Kamat said this was a sign of the BJP’s ‘frustration and failure’.
Incidentally, the Congress has not named Kamat as its chief ministerial candidate, even though he is widely believed to be a frontrunner for the post if the party comes back to power.
