The Aam Aadmi Party has slammed the BJP for trying to misrepresent the facts of the Nuvem incident, after the ruling party faced severe public backlash when videos of the shocking violence unleashed on AAP’s peaceful protesters went viral on social media.

Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters today, AAP leaders Valmiki Naik and Capt. Venzy Viegas said that the violence was a direct result of the frustration of the BJP, which had realised that AAP cannot be cowed down like other opposition parties.

Viegas, refuting the BJP’s accusation that AAP workers disturbed the peace at the MLA’s residence, said that on the contrary AAP had indulged in “goadd rajkaran” (sweet politics) by offering cake. Viegas said that AAP had gone peacefully to thirteen MLAs’ houses to offer cake as it was expected that they would be celebrating their 2nd anniversary of coming to power, even if it was by betraying the people.

“Some MLAs felt ashamed when AAP raised the issue of the betrayal, and they refused the cake. Others felt no shame in accepting the cake. Some, however, like the Nuvem MLA Wilfred D’Sa, felt so exposed and cornered that he and his supporters reacted violently, even assaulting the women leaders of AAP”, Viegas said.

Viegas expressed shock that, the next day when AAP led a peaceful protest to demand the MLA’s apology, the MLAs supporters repeated the behaviour and used filthy language, threw things, and manhandled the protestors, this time under the full protection of the police.

Naik said that the Nuvem BJP MLA had reduced himself to the proverbial “dhobi ka kutta”, neither able to contest on a Congress ticket nor able to win on a BJP ticket. Naik mocked the ex-MP Narendra Sawaikar’s assertion that the BJP stood firmly with its Nuvem MLA, pointing out that the Nuvem MLA himself stated on a TV channel on the same day that he was likely to contest as independent and not on BJP ticket.

Naik said that entire Goa had been shocked by the violent nature of the BJP, when it used state machinery to shield and encourage violence by the MLAs goons against AAP’s peaceful protest. Refuting the BJP’s false statements, Naik pointed out that it is the BJP that goes to politicians’ homes and attacks their families.

“Delhi CM Kejriwal’s home was vandalised by BJP workers in November 2020. Delhi Dy. Manish Sisodia’s home was attacked and his family threatened by a mob of BJP workers last year. Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh’s official residence was attacked recently. So we have seen this all over the country, not just in Goa, but also in Delhi, UP and Gujarat where BJP has unleashed violence against AAP leaders and workers”.

Naik said the BJP is used to weak and pliable opposition parties such as Congress, and hence reacts violently when faced with a party like AAP which can neither be outdone in governance, nor can its MLAs be purchased, nor can it be threatened into submission. Naik said the state-sponsored violence in Nuvem proves that BJP has realised that their free run in Goa is now over, and that they neither have a political reply to AAP’s opposition, nor are they able to bully AAP.

“We will not be cowed down by BJP’s threats, and party volunteers will peacefully bear BJP’s lathis or even jail. We will continue to expose the BJP Govt on its betrayal of the people’s mandate to form a corrupt government, on its mishandling of the Covid pandemic due to which thousands of Goans lost their lives, and on its misgovernance of the state’s economy because of which the average Goan has been put out on the streets”, Naik concluded.

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