Ruckus outside Goa BJP MLA’s house as AAP workers protest against him

The AAP alleged that during the party's 'silent protest' outside D’Sa’s house on Sunday, his supporters hurled eggs, tomatoes on them

Ruckus prevailed outside Goa BJP MLA Wilfred D'Sa’s residence at Nuvem village in the state on Sunday after the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) held a protest against him, claiming that his supporters had allegedly verbally abused the party workers the previous day.

The AAP alleged that during the party's “silent protest” held outside D’Sa’s house on Sunday, his supporters hurled eggs and tomatoes on them. The MLA, however, denied any such attack by his followers.

A group of AAP leaders, led by its state vice president Pratima Coutinho, had visited D'Sa's house in South Goa on Saturday as a part of the party’s campaign to target the 10 MLAs, who had switched over to the ruling BJP from the Congress exactly two years ago.

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D'Sa, who represents Nuvem constituency, was among the 10 legislators who had joined the saffron party on July 10, 2019. Under this exercise, the AAP visited the residences of these legislators with cakes to mark the second anniversary of their crossing over from the Congress to the BJP. AAP leaders said that while majority of these MLAs silently accepted the cakes, they were verbally abused outside D'Sa residence on Saturday.

Talking to PTI, AAP's Goa convener Rahul Mahambrey alleged, “On Sunday, we had gone to the residence of D’Sa to hold a silent protest against the verbal abuse, but we were stopped by the police. Eggs and tomatoes were hurled on us by the supporters of the MLA.” He said that the attack on the AAP workers was unprovoked.

Eyewitnesses said that AAP leaders and workers, including Coutinho, had to be stopped when they tried to cross the barricades put up by the police.

“But there was no lathicharge or any kind of action by the pollice. We just stopped them, following which returned,” a senior police officer said. He said that the protest continued for around two hours outside D’Sa’s residence of D'Sa. When asked, D’Sa said the AAP protest was meaningless.

“That party cannot question me over my move of joining the BJP. It is the right of the Congress,” he said. “They (AAP workers) gathered outside my house simply to get cheap publicity,” he said.

He denied any attack by his supporters on the AAP workers.