MARGAO
The Congress and the BJP were involved in a slugfest on Thursday over defections, with the Congress maintaining that Leader of Opposition Digambar Kamat did not defect from the BJP, while the ruling party charged Digambar for introducing resignations after he quit the party to bring down the party-led government.
A day after BJP President Sadanand Shet Tanavade charged Digambar of defecting from the party, to bring down the Manohar Parrikar-led government, Congress spokesperson Pallavi Bhagat reminded Tanavade that Kamat neither jumped nor defected from BJP to Congress. “Kamat had resigned as a MLA of BJP and contested elections again on Congress ticket to seek people’s mandate. After winning by-election in 2005, Digambar Kamat won three more elections from Margao in 2007, 2012 and 2017. We are confident that he will win with a thumping majority in the coming assembly elections with the blessings of Madganvkars”, Pallavi asserted.
She thanked Tanavade for openly accepting that former CM late Manohar Parrikar always wanted to defeat Digambar Kamat. “The U-turn master Manohar Parrikar with dictatorial attitude was always jealous of love and affection received from Goans by Digambar Kamat who is known for his simplicity and accessibility”, she said, adding “hope the legacy bearers of late Manohar Parrikar also remember his words at Lohia Maidan, Margao in 2005 where he had declared that he would quit politics if Digambar Kamat won the by-election that year”.
She said the Opposition leader has moved a resolution for the upcoming assembly session demanding stricter laws to put an end to defections. “Tanavade’s statement shows that their party is not interested in putting an end to the evil of defections and they want to continue with horse trading to grab power”, Pallavi claimed.
The BJP leaders did not lag behind. Party leaders Damu Naik, Rupesh Mahatme and Sharmad Raiturkar on Thursday evening addressed the media to refute the allegations made by Congress spokesperson Pallavi Bhagat.
Damu said that Digambar Kamat is indeed responsible for showing the way for people to resign from one party to join another party. “This is also defection by politicians”, he said, while saying that Tanavade was well within his right to term Kamat’s decision to quit the party to join the Congress as defection.
Damu also took exception to Pallavi Bhagat’s allegation involving former Chief Minister late Manohar Parrikar, saying the allegations should not have been made since Parrikar is no more to reply or refute the allegations.
