'Learn from Lord Ram': Kejriwal tells Goa BJP Minister

Panaji, Dec 23 (IANS) Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday invoked Lord Ram and his devotion to his father to slam a ruling BJP Minister in Goa, Vishwajit Rane, who has warned his father and former CM Pratapsingh Rane of defeat in the upcoming 2022 state Assembly polls.

"BJP Minister Vishwajit Rane has announced that he will contest elections against his father Pratapsingh Rane. He has announced that he will defeat his father in the elections. What is this happening in Goa? What is happening? Such is his craze for power that he has forgotten his father?" Kejriwal said in a video message on Thursday.

"We are Hindus, who worship Lord Ram. Ram on his father's direction left politics, suffered 14 year vanvas. This BJP MInister who calls himself a Hindu Vishwajit Rane has dared to say he will defeat his father! What kind of a government is this in Goa," Kejriwal also said.

On December 21, Health Minister Vishwajit Rane had warned his 83-year-old father Pratapsingh against contesting from the latter's bastion of Poriem Assembly constituency in North Goa, asking him to retire gracefully considering his advanced age.

While Rane is a BJP MLA from the adjoining Valpoi Assembly constituency, his father, a Congress MLA has been undefeated from the Poriem assembly constituency for the last 50 years.

Vishwajit Rane's attack on his father came on a day when the latter had announced his candidature for the Poriem seat on a Congress ticket.

Viswajit, who incidentally was elected on a Congress ticket in the 2017 state Assembly polls before joining the BJP the same year, also said that he would take on his father in Poriem and win the election by a margin of at least 10,000 votes.