Panaji: Citing arrogance as the reason for the BJP’s debacle in the February 4 State Assembly elections, Goa Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Vinay Tendulkar on Wednesday said, “People may accept corruption, but they will never tolerate arrogance.”
Speaking to reporters, Mr. Tendulkar said the loss of connect between people and BJP MLAs, including Ministers, had caused the downfall. The party’s seat tally had slipped to 13 from 21 in the 40-member House in the Assembly polls.
He also recalled party veteran L.K. Advani, who, as per Mr. Tendulkar, had warned party leadership in Goa years ago that people may tolerate corruption, they would never tolerate arrogance.
Mr. Tendulkar said, “We have accepted the loss. We are in the process of analysing it. Our MLAs have spoken, our Chief Minister has also said that the relations between some MLAs and people were not right. In Goa, no one keeps [a politician] close if he turns arrogant.”
In an interview with The Hindu on Wednesday, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar indicated that the party’s seat tally declined in Goa due to manifestation of people’s anger against some individuals, the magnitude of which he had failed to gauge.
