PANJIM: Michael Lobo is the Congress’ new talisman, a BJP import, who controls the fortunes of his new party in Bardez taluka and is one of the reasons for the Congress’ newfound optimism in the coming Assembly elections.
He responded to a series of questions to Herald TV, ranging from the skepticism about his loyalty to the Congress and the belief that he will defect to the BJP after the elections to the reason why he left the BJP as well as the contentious issue of the rampant illegalities in Calangute in his tenure.
He also detailed what is largely understood in political circles about the involvement of a shadow CM who controls not only Pramod Sawant but the government.
“Dr Pramod Sawant was being totally controlled by a super CM. He wears that white bandi, we call him bandi man. Even Laxmikant Parsekar directly referred to him when he left the party. Every time there was interference in the government by him alone. This was communicated to the party president and the core committee members. They had no control over him. He used to always tell the CM, I made you the Chief Minister. The CM used to get scared of him. He used to bring his own bills for being passed. Whatever used to come to him, he used to get it drafted. All cabinet notes, etc, came to the cabinet without our knowledge,” Lobo said.
Detailing the involvement of the “bandi man” or the kurta-clad man, he said, “The super CM looked at everything and he went through government files. He was the shadow behind the Chief Minister. He used to dictate to the CM, ‘do like this. I’m telling you’. I had a very big argument with him once. He was trying to impose his view on something I was discussing with the CM decisions. In fact, I said, why doesn’t he contest elections and become the Chief Minister, but he cannot dictate everything to the cabinet and the legislature wing and say I want this.”
Responding as to why he decided to join the Congress, he said that in 2017 there were five CM candidates and all of them wanted the top job, because of which the party could not decide even in 24 hours who the CLP leader would be. “The greed of the five stopped the Congress from forming the government. I joined the Congress now when there is only one senior leader than me. These are new faces. There won’t be an issue with the new CM. Whoever is the choice of the Centre will be acceptable to all of us,” he said.
The big question: Is there a guarantee that Michael Lobo along with his own MLAs will not defect back to the BJP?
Says Lobo, “Who in the Congress will break? We have taken a vow at Mahalakshmi (temple). We have gone to the Holy Cross. We have gone to the dargah. No one will break. I’ve come to play a long innings with the Congress and that means till retirement from politics.” He also said that his decision opens himself to central agencies “disturbing” him, but he won’t get disturbed.
