Attacking the BJP-led Goa government over its scheme to provide LED bulbs to consumers free of cost, AAP today said the ruling dispensation is using public money to distribute freebies in a bid to win over people ahead of next year's assembly elections.
"As we have seen before, BJP uses government machinery and wastes lakhs of public funds to organise their party functions for their party leaders. Similarly, in this scheme, the party always planned to use public funds to do election campaigning to counter the Aam Aadmi Party," AAP Goa spokesman Rupesh Shinkre told reporters.
On Tuesday, Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar announced that the government had distributed around 4.05 lakh LED bulbs to 1.35 lakh consumers free of cost in last five days under its ambitious "Jyotirmay Goa" scheme.
Shinkre said the leaflets distributed for the LED scheme highlighted only BJP politicians, workers and the Lotus symbol but had nothing about Electricity department.
"SMSes sent referred to it as a BJP scheme," he claimed.
Shinkre said the bulbs given to consumers free of cost are already available at every electricity department for Rs 25.
"People have seen through this government and have stopped coming to BJP meetings, hence the party has panicked and started using public money to attract the people of Goa with freebies, thus forcing them to listen to campaign speeches," he said.
