Congress B-team of BJP, Kejriwal-led party alternative: AAP over political turmoil in Goa

New Delhi: Amid political turmoil in Congress' Goa unit, the AAP on Monday sought to fish in troubled waters as it appealed to the masses to consider it as an alternative in the country, alleging that the grand old party has become a "B-team" of the BJP.

With the Congress Goa in-charge Dinesh Gundu Rao's claim on Sunday that two of his party MLAs were engaged in engineering a split in the party at the behest of the BJP in the state, it has now been proved that every single vote cast in its favour eventually becomes useful for the BJP, the AAP alleged.

"This has once again proved the slogan -- the Congress' hand with the BJP -- true," Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said in a video message, reacting to the political turmoil within the Goa unit of the Congress.

He said the Congress MLAs had switched to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Goa after assembly polls in 2017 as well.

"This is not happening for the first time. Wherever the Congress wins (in election), the people's votes and support in its favour eventually become useful in strengthening the BJP. As many as 62 Congress leaders have switched to the BJP in Gujarat," he said.

"The Congress has actually become a B-team of the BJP across the country," he charged.

Congress' Goa desk in-charge Rao had on Sunday claimed that his party MLAs Michael Lobo and Digambar Kamat were "hatching a conspiracy by hobnobbing with the BJP to engineer a split in the Congress."

The party subsequently removed Lobo from the post of the Leader of Opposition in the 40-member state Assembly after five of its MLAs, including Lobo and Kamat, went incommunicado, ahead of the start of the assembly session.

The party also moved its five other MLAs to an undisclosed location.

"The Sixth MLA, Aleixo Sequeira, is in touch with the Congress leaders and is very much with the party," Rao had said at a press conference on Sunday.

In a dramatic turn of events, however, all these five Congress MLAs including Lobo and Kamat turned up to attend the assembly proceedings on the first day of the monsoon session on Monday, and claimed there was "nothing wrong" in the opposition party.

Lobo told reporters that all the five MLAs, including him, won the state assembly election on the Congress' ticket and asserted that they stand with the party.

"See the reality of the Congress. Its leaders are breaking their own party, MLAs defecting to BJP... Don't waste your vote on such a party," AAP MP Singh said.

"The Congress' hand is with the BJP. Think about Kejriwal and the Aam Aadmi Party which is there in front of you as a clean alternative," he added.

Buoyed by its grand victory in Punjab assembly polls earlier this year, the AAP has been working on its national expansion plan and making efforts to gain its toe hold in other states.

The party, which came to power decimating the Congress in Delhi and Punjab both, has been using every opportunity to position itself as an alternative to the grand old party and the sole challenger to the BJP.

The Kejriwal-led party, which is gearing up to contest all seats in upcoming assembly polls in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh later this year, has also set in motion its preparations for elections in other states in coming years, hoping to play a key national role in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.