PANAJI
Is the Opposition Congress again under siege in another Operation Lotus?
If the strong speculation in Goa's political circles on Saturday is anything to go by, a group of legislators of the Congress are on their way to defect to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The sudden arrival of All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary, Dinesh Gundu Rao, in the State lent a dollop of credence to the speculation that the grand old party is facing an attack on its legislators.
Another strand of speculation in political circles suggested that the Congress was seriously contemplating a change of guard in its legislative wing with Opposition Leader Michael Lobo being replaced.
Officially, the Congress has denied and rubbished the speculation as mere rumours.
By afternoon, Goa Pradesh Congress Committee president Amit Patkar dismissed them as "rumours" and Gundu Rao himself scoffed at the speculation that the group of Congress MLAs had a meeting with top BJP leaders outside the State.
Official denials notwithstanding, Gundu Rao's sudden arrival in Goa sources said was a fire-fighting mission to dissuade party MLAs who are reported to be inclined to switch camps to the BJP.
"Goa is always full of speculation. These are rumours and all are together," Rao meanwhile said after attending a rear-guard CLP meeting.
He said the party will work to put the government on the mat as it has not addressed issues pertaining to the State.
Meanwhile, in seemingly rear-guard action the Congress held a legislature party meeting that went on late into the night at a city hotel and which was attended by 10 of its 11 legislators.
Former chief minister Digambar Kamat was the lone absentee but his absence, however, was explained with his preoccupation with the pre-scheduled event of the death anniversary of the former seer at Partagal in Canacona, the religious seat of the State's Hindu Saraswat community.
Sources in the Congress also said that a move to change leadership of legislative party saw serious discussion at Saturday's CLP meeting.
Lobo has been under attack for the last two months from Town and Country Planning Minister Vishwajit Rane over alleged wrongdoings by the former related to conversion of large tracts of land via Outline Development Plans (ODPs) during his time as NGPDA chief when he was in the BJP.
Some of the Congress legislators are of the opinion that the ongoing Lobo-Rane political slugfest is hampering the Congress' strategies and posturing as the principal Opposition party, the sources said.
Coincidentally, Sunday will mark the third anniversary of the day when in 2019 the Congress suffered a mass exodus of legislators when 10 of its 15 legislators, led by its Leader of Opposition, Chandrakant (Babu) Kavlekar, switched over to the BJP camp in a midnight coup.
That July 10, 2019 exodus of MLAs was also similarly preceded by wild speculation and reports in some mainstream media platforms as well as on social media sites.
Speculation of possible defections has been routinely surfacing in political quarters ever since the BJP's Goa desk in-charge C T Ravi had a couple of months ago publicly stated that some five Congress MLAs were in touch with them and want to crossover.
Ravi had made the statement when he was in the State in May to attend party functions to celebrate the completion of eight years in office by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
There cannot be smoke without fire. Events, if any, on Sunday and thereafter will have to be closely watched to ascertain if Saturday’s smoke indeed had a fire behind it.
