Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy likened the BJP to Ravan and the Congress to Ram, urging the people of Goa to vote for the Congress in the 2027 Assembly elections and warning that votes for smaller parties and Independents would benefit the BJP.
Addressing the Goy Rakhonn Yatra in Goa on Sunday, Mr. Revanth Reddy expressed confidence that the Congress would return to power in Goa, saying he sensed the same optimism that he had witnessed in Telangana ahead of the 2023 Assembly elections.
“The story in Indian politics has a Ram and a Ravan. Ravan is the BJP and Ram is the Congress. If you want to defeat Ravan, you have to support Ram,” he said, appealing to voters to choose the Congress’s Hand symbol.
He alleged that smaller parties were being propped up by the BJP to divide the opposition vote. “Any vote for them is a vote for the BJP,” he said, asking voters to think carefully before making their choice.
Mr. Reddy alleged that the State had become a hub for drugs and Telangana was also suffering due to the rising drug mafia in Goa. His government had subsequently established the EAGLE force to combat narcotics, he said, adding that investigations had revealed networks of drug smugglers operating in Goa.
“If the Prime Minister and the Home Minister are talking about a Nasha Mukt Bharat, why is it not being implemented in Goa?” he asked, alleging that the drug trade continued because those in power were benefiting from it.
He accused the Modi government of misusing central agencies against opposition leaders and subsequently turning to the Election Commission of India to weaken the Opposition. He said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was leading the fight against what he described as the Modi government’s corrupt and authoritarian rule. He was in Goa to represent Mr. Gandhi, who had been scheduled to attend the programme but was required to remain in Delhi, he said.
Drawing a parallel between the monsoon and electoral outcomes, the Chief Minister predicted that the Congress would form the government in Goa in 2027 following its anticipated victory in Kerala in 2026.
He cited earlier electoral cycles in which Congress victories in Kerala were followed by the party forming governments in Goa and at the Centre. “The fight against the BJP will begin here in Goa. Next year, we will defeat the BJP,” he said, adding that the party’s campaign would ultimately culminate in Delhi with Mr. Rahul Gandhi becoming Prime Minister.
