PANAJI
March 10 may still be a few weeks away, but Goa's would-be legislative horses are already being wooed to bolt from their party stable, if State Congress president Girish Chodankar is to be believed.
Addressing a press conference in Panaji on Saturday, Chodankar issued a strong warning to top BJP leaders including the Health Minister, Transport Minister Mauvin Godinho and Chief Minister Pramod Sawant against trying to lure prospective Congress MLAs to create a band of legislators across party lines to lobby for chief ministership with the BJP leadership.
"They, the Health Minister, Transport Minister and Chief Minister and their brokers have started poaching our candidates and giving offers. We are publicly warning, this is a new Congress. Not a single worker will keep quiet if such efforts continue to be made," Chodankar told a press conference at the State Congress headquarters.
The Health Minister's recent visit to Maharashtra at a time when former BJP MLA and Congress candidate from Calangute Michael Lobo was also holidaying in the neighbouring State had triggered political speculation in Goa.
"We are ready to take steps and this is a warning. Don't take the people for granted. If any MLA tries to bring the BJP back to power and what will happen to that MLA, nobody will be able to save them," he further said.
Chodankar said that there was popular ire against the trend of defections and the people of Goa will "not keep quiet" if any more defections are engineered after the elections.
"People of Goa will also not keep quiet. This entire election was about defections and the people will not keep quiet. They will be responsible and they should realise this is a new Congress and our cadre will not keep quiet and neither will the people of Goa," the State Congress president said.
