Highlights
- The party on Sunday said five of its 11 MLAs in the state have gone "incommunicado"
- Congress also removed Michael Lobo and Digambar Kamat from the party
- Congress had, only a few hours ago, refuted allegations that there is a rift within the party
Amid rumours of Goa Congress MLA Michael Lobo joining the BJP, the party's state in-charge Dinesh Gundu Rao on Sunday said that Lobo has been "immediately removed" from the position of Leader of Opposition of Goa. Lobo, sources had earlier suggested, is in touch with BJP. He had jumped from BJP to Congress earlier just ahead of elections. In a fresh trouble, the party on Sunday said five of its 11 MLAs in the state have gone "incommunicado", and accused two of these legislators — Michael Lobo and former chief minister Digambar Kamat — of "conspiring" and "hobnobbing with the ruling BJP to engineer a split" in the grand old party's legislative wing.
The Congress also removed Michael Lobo and Digambar Kamat from the party. AICC observer Gundu Rao said a conspiracy was hatched and led by Lobo and ex-chief minister Digambar Kamat to weaken the party in Goa.
Rao said that a new leader to replace Lobo will be elected soon. "Whatever action has to be taken by law against this kind of defection, anti-party work will follow. Let's see how many people will stay/move. 5 of our MLAs are here, we're in touch with some more MLAs and they'll be along with us."
"Congress party will not be disheartened or weakened," he said.
"We will take up this issue in a more aggressive manner. We will take it to the people this betrayal that is being engineered by 2 people for the sake of power & personal gain."
Congress had, only a few hours ago, refuted allegations that there is a rift within the party. As rumours are strife, Congress MLA Aleixo Sequeira said, "MLA meeting underway in a hotel, 7 MLAs there. I was not called by high command, only here for a courtesy meet. Rumours (about MLAs leaving for BJP) are all over, what is to be done. I can vouch for myself, can't say for anyone else."
Meanwhile, Goa Assembly Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar on Sunday cancelled the notification for election to the post of Deputy Speaker, which was scheduled for July 12.
Exactly three years ago on this day, a group of 10 MLAs from the Congress had left the party and switched over to the BJP.
The development also comes close on the heels of the political turmoil in neighbouring Maharashtra, where the ruling Shiv Sena split following a rebellion by senior leader Eknath Shinde, who became the chief minister after Uddhav Thackeray resigned from the top post in the last week of June. Shinde and his supporting MLAs had gone "incommunicado" on June 20-21 before moving to Surat and then to Guwahati.
Addressing a press conference here, Rao said, "Five Congress MLAs — Michael Lobo, Digambar Kamat, Kedar Naik, Rajesh Faldesai and Delialah Lobo — have gone incommunicado."
However, five other legislators - Altone D'Costa, Sankalp Amonkar, Yuri Alemao, Carlose Alvares Ferreira, Rudolf Fernandes - are with the party, he said. These five MLAs were even present at the press conference addressed by Rao.
"Sixth MLA, Aleixo Sequeira, is in touch with the Congress leaders and is very much with the party," he said.
"Lobo and Kamat were hatching a conspiracy by hobnobbing with BJP to engineer a split in the Congress. Therefore, the party has decided to remove Lobo from the post of the Leader of Opposition. Action will be taken against both Lobo and Kamat," Rao alleged.
In the Pramod Sawant-led dispensation, the ruling BJP has 20 MLAs, and the government also enjoys the support of five others - two from the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) and three Independents. The grand old party had won 11 seats in the assembly polls held in February this year.
The Goa Foward Party (GFP) and Revolutionary Goans Party (RGP) had won one seat each, while the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had bagged two seats.
Rao said that if the five MLAs defect, they will have to face elections again as the group does not enjoy the two-thirds majority of the party's legislative wing.
He recalled that before the assembly polls, all the Congress candidates had taken a vow before God that they would not defect to any other party if they get elected. "These MLAs have broken that vow," Rao said.
(With inputs from PTI)
