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Amid split rumours, Goa Congress shifts 5 MLAs to Chennai for weekend
The Goa Congress’ move comes amid rumours that a group of party legislators is making a renewed attempt to gather the numbers and switch over to the BJP
The Goa Congress has shifted five of its MLAs to Chennai for the weekend in a bid to keep them away from the grasp of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and will bring them back only on Monday, people familiar with the matter said.
The move comes amid rumours that a group of Congress legislators is making a renewed attempt to gather the numbers and switch over to the BJP barely a week after the Congress appeared to have put a lid on a brewing rebellion in its ranks.
The five who have been flown include Carlos Ferreira, Sankalp Amonkar, Altone D’Costa, Rodolfo Fernandes and Yuri Alemão -- the same five who had reported to the Congress house last Sunday when a breakaway group was at the chief minister’s residence in anticipation of a move to the BJP.
The Congress has 11 MLAs in the 40-member Goa Legislative Assembly and to avoid action against the anti-defection law any breakaway group will need two-thirds legislators to agree to switch sides, which would mean eight legislators are required for the same.
Multiple sources have confirmed that former Goa chief minister Digambar Kamat and Michael Lobo, who until last Saturday was the leader of the Opposition, are still looking to switch sides and are hopeful of gathering six more MLAs to join them.
On Friday, state Congress president Amit Patkar said that the BJP was continuing to try and pry away Congress legislators.
“Day and night the BJP is trying. Every day they are offering and putting pressure. But our new MLAs that are there, they are firm, ideologically they are firm and are of the view that they are elected after earning the trust of the people and that they will not break that trust of the people. They tried last weekend and they went to all the extent to split the Congress by two-third,” Patkar said.
“I think the BJP should respect democracy and we should have a healthy democracy. Probably they are not able to face the questions in the Assembly that they want to finish the Opposition. So, that mindset has to change. We need a healthy democracy, only then the government can function,” Patkar added.
The ruling BJP has denied involvement in any moves to lure Congress legislators and has instead asked the Congress to take care of its own flock.
“The Congress president should look after his own instead of making allegations against us,” state BJP president Sadanand Shet Tanavade said.
