MAPUSA
In a Congress versus Congress battle, former Calangute MLA and GPCC General Secretary, Agnel Fernandes on Tuesday blamed some local Congress leaders for trying to get BJP MLA Michael Lobo into the party.Fernandes along with former Calangute Sarpanch, Joseph Sequeira also said that if Lobo is given entry into Congress then both of them will be out and work to defeat him.
“There are certain Congress leaders who are interested in taking Michael Lobo in the Congress party. But I think our central leaders know about Michael’s reputation and will not touch him. As long as Chidambaram is there I don’t think (Lobo will get entry into Congress)…,” Fernandes said.
The former Calangute MLA along with former Calangute Sarpanchas, Joseph Sequeira and Anthony Menezes were fending off queries about the speculation of Lobo’s entry into the Congress, which is growing louder with every passing day.
Fernandes said Congress leaders from Calangute will not remain in the party if Lobo was allowed to join the party.
“If the Congress is planning to give entry to people who indulge in illegal activities we will not be with the Congress. We will defeat Michael (Lobo). We want to work for the betterment of Goa. If somebody is planning to sabotage the wellbeing of Goa then we are out. Goa comes first, not the party,” he argued.
The GPCC general secretary also warned that if Congress takes any step that is detrimental to the expectations of the people then those who believe in Congress ideology will teach the party a lesson.
“People who are trying to destroy Congress by getting this type of Pablo Escobar into the party will regret later. Do you think Congress voters will blindly vote for them? People taught them a lesson the last time and if they don’t learn their lessons, then history will repeat again,” he said.
Fernandes claimed that in the last election (2017) too Lobo had had three meetings in his hotel with the then GPCC chief Luizinho Faleiro expressing his wish to join Congress but finally stayed with the BJP.
“He (Lobo) starts to spread this news of joining Congress one year before the elections. The doors of Congress are closed for him as far as we know. Let him get out from BJP,” he said.
