Team Herald
PANJIM: All India Congress Committee (AICC) In-Charge Dinesh Gundu Rao on Saturday rushed to Goa following rumours of eight Congress MLAs switching over to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of monsoon session of Goa Assembly.
According to highly-placed sources, Rao told his MLAs, “I’m hearing that there is a buzz that Congress MLAs are leaving. I cannot stop anyone but I can only appeal to you. I have heard from Congressmen who had left and joined BJP that the BJP will use and throw you. You have to answer your conscience.”
After chairing the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting, Rao denied of any rift and alleged that the BJP was playing vindictive politics and trying to silence Leader of the Opposition Michael Lobo. “Congress will not be silenced,” he said.
Further, Rao said that the CLP meeting had nothing to do with ‘rumours’ of a rift. The 10 Congress MLAs met informally to discuss the floor plan before the commencement of Assembly session from Monday.
He said that only Margao MLA Digambar Kamat could not attend the meeting as he was busy in a religious function at Partagali, Canacona.
Leader of the Opposition Lobo said that longer Assembly session was needed to raise issues which could not be voiced for the past two years due to COVID-19 pandemic.
He further said that if the government had paid heed to the requirements of Supreme Court mandated ‘triple test’ well ahead in time, Other Backward Classes (OBC) communities would have got their due reservations in the panchayat elections.
Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) President Amit Patkar, who was also present rubbished as rumours, claims that a group of Congress MLAs were on their way to join the BJP.
He said that the Congress MLAs are presently focusing on raising people’s issues in the upcoming Assembly session.
When asked about AICC Goa In-Charge Dinesh Rao’s visit to the State, Patkar said, “He is coming here to monitor overall floor management and also discuss about village panchayat elections.”
Some of the Congress MLAs said that Dinesh Rao visit was scheduled last week but had to be postponed due to other engagements.
Though Rao stoutly denied any rift in the CLP, it is learnt that the AICC leader met four MLAs individually in a hotel in the city and tried to know the reasons for their unhappiness in the party. As the time was running out, he then met all the 10 MLAs together. The meeting assumed importance ahead of Presidential elections as party leaders fear horse-trading of legislators.
Most of the MLAs who trooped out of the hotel claimed that the meeting was convened for better floor coordination and to adopt strategy during the Assembly session.
Aldona MLA Carlos Alvares Ferreira said that Dinesh Rao visit to Goa was long overdue.
When asked whether disgruntled party MLAs were trying to join the BJP, Adv Alvares asked, “Is this the way BJP want to rule the country. They have completely no morale,” he said adding that the meeting was to have better floor coordination between the Opposition members.
Similar views were endorsed by Deputy CLP Sankalp Amonkar and MLAs Yuri Alemao and Delialah Lobo.
