Highlights
- 8 Goa Congress MLAs including Michael Lobo joined BJP today.
- The claim was made by Goa BJP Chief Sadanand Tanavade.
- 10 Congress MLAs switched over to the BJP in 2019.
Goa news: In a big setback to the Congress party, 8 party MLA from Goa joined the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) today. The development came soon after BJP chief Sadanand Shet Tanavade made the claims. In the 40-member Goa Assembly, the Congress has 11 legislators and the BJP has 20. With eight MLAs breaking away as a group (two-thirds of the party strength), they can avoid disqualification under the anti-defection law.
Those who joined BJP include Congress leaders Digambar Kamat, Michael Lobo, Delilah Lobo, Rajesh Phaldesai, Kedar Naik, Sankalp Amonkar, Aleixo Sequeira, and Rudolf Fernandes.
"We have merged with BJP with a majority of 2/3rd to strengthen the hands of PM Modi and CM Pramod Sawant... 'Congress Chhodo, BJP ko Jodo', said former Congress MLA Michael Lobo.
Meanwhile, Goa CM Sawant also took a jibe at Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra and said that "Congress Chhodo Yatra will begin from Goa now" while welcoming the leaders.
The development came amid Congress leader Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra to combat the BJP-led Centre and awaken the country's people to the dangers of economic inequalities, social polarisation, and political centralization. The Yatra includes Padayatras, rallies, and public meetings which will be attended by the senior Congress leaders including Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
In a similar move in July 2019, 10 Congress MLAs switched over to the BJP. Two months ago, Micheal Lobo was removed by Congress as Goa Leader of Opposition for allegedly conspiring with the BJP to engineer defection in the party. However, he had denied any "hobnobbing" with the ruling BJP and asserted that he is still with the grand old party.
Claims and counterclaims of a spilt in the Goa Congress, have been doing rounds for some time now. Congress had earlier claimed that the BJP trying for a 2/3rd split and offered huge amounts of money to party legislators.
Earlier, Congress MLA Sankalp Amonkar said, "It's a murder of democracy. BJP govt wants to finish opposition. They wanted 2/3 of our MLAs to merge with them but our MLAs didn't let it happen. We have a meeting now to choose a new CLP leader. As of now, all 11 MLAs are in Congress."
Just as Micheal Lobo was removed from the Congress party some months back, Congress MLA and wife of Michael Lobo, Delilah Lobo was seen leaving the residence of CM and BJP leader Pramod Sawant.
