PANAJI
Stung by the betrayal of as many as 13 Congress MLAs, who have joined the BJP since 2017, state Congress president Girish Chodankar on Thursday claimed that as many as “seven to eight” BJP MLAs were now spurning ruling party tickets, adding that the unpopular BJP would implode in the days leading to the polls.
Addressing a press conference in Panaji on Thursday, Chodankar also tried to steer clear of questions related to BJP’s Ports Minister Michael Lobo’s speculated entry into the Congress, while also giving wishy-washy responses related to Mapusa Congressman Sudhir Kandolkar’s hobnobbing with the Calangute MLA.
“BJP MLAs do not want to stay with the party. It is clear now. Around 7 to 8 MLAs have said we do not want your tickets. When seven to 8 MLAs from the treasury benches tell the government that we do not want to contest on BJP tickets what does it mean?” Chodankar told a press conference in Panaji.
“They say we came to you for development, but we do not want your symbol, what does that indicate? It clearly indicates that the tent they (BJP) had erected by importing people is now collapsing. And by the time that election is announced, nobody will be left in the BJP,” Chodankar also said.
Chodankar’s comments come at a time when the ruling BJP has been tormented by dissent on several fronts, especially with Ports Minister Michael Lobo, whose open rebellion has left the saffron party with egg on its face.
While Lobo has been linked with an entry to the Congress, the sheer possibility of Lobo joining the Opposition party has also triggered a possibility of yet another exodus of leaders from the Congress’ Calangute block.
Congress leaders from Calangute including ex-MLA Agnelo Fernandes and former Sarpanch Joseph Sequeira have warned Congress leaders against the entry of their ‘sworn enemy’, Lobo, into the Congress.
Chodankar, however, said that he had not received any “application” from Lobo with regards to his seeking to join the Congress party.
“I do not have Michael Lobo’s application, so I cannot comment on Michael Lobo,” Chodankar said. He also said that the Congress’ Calangute block president Benedict D’Souza had been conducting house-to-house campaigning in the constituency.
Asked about the continued bonhomie between Lobo, who is still a cabinet minister in Chief Minister Pramod Sawant’s government and Sudhir Kandolkar, the Congress’ candidate for the 2019 Mapusa bypolls, Chodankar said that opposition party leaders sometimes had to meet government ministers to ensure that constituency chores are followed up.
He also said that Kandolkar was still a member of the Congress party.
