Goa Congress president Girish Chodankar on Friday slammed the BJP-led coalition government for failing to protect Sidharth Kuncalienkar, the BJP’s candidate for Panaji bypoll. It also demanded that at least 100 police personnel should throw a permanent security cordon around Mr. Kuncalienkar.
Mr. Chodankar was responding to a complaint by Mr. Kuncalienkar who on Thursday accused the Opposition of acting out of frustration, after two unknown persons on Thursday night flung a bottle at Mr. Kuncalienkar’s car while he was returning home.
Mr. Chodankar also questioned the law and order situation in the city saying that the BJP-led coalition government had failed to provide security for its own candidate.
“The Congress is not in power. If your candidate is not safe, then how can you safeguard people?,” asked Mr. Chodankar at a press conference here.
“First of all, it is a shame for the government and the Chief Minister. Government is run by the Chief Minister and Home Ministry is also under him,” Mr. Chodankar said, emphasising that the police needs to arrest the culprit as soon as possible.
A police complaint was registered at the Panaji town police station on Friday after the incident. Mr. Kuncalienkar was travelling along with a friend on Thursday night in Panaji’s Mala ward when unknown persons riding a two-wheeler flung a bottle at his car’s wind shield.
Mr. Kuncalienkar said further in his complaint that the incident happened while passing through his constituency, after a public meeting addressed by Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari was over on Thursday evening.
“My opponents must have been rattled after the success of the meeting, which is why they resorted to this act in desperation,” Mr. Kuncalienkar said while speaking to the media persons.
Mr. Kuncalienkar is facing Atanasio Monserrate of the Congress, Valmiki Naik of the Aam Aadmi Party and Subhash Velingkar of the Goa Suraksha Manch, among others in the May 19 bypoll for Panaji, which is taking place following the demise of Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on March 17.