PANAJI
An embarrassed Congress party has questioned the legality of the defection referring to a disqualification petition pending against Digambar Kamat and Michael Lobo ~ who are among the eight defectors.
“We will examine the papers submitted by the eight defecting MLAs. The defection is not as per the law. Congress had filed a disqualification petition against Lobo and Kamat, and as such their inclusion as part of two-thirds required for the merger will be questioned,” Aldona MLA Carlos Ferreira said at a press conference held with the remaining two MLAs, Yuri Alemao and Altone D’Costa along with the office bearers in the party office on Wednesday.
Ferreira recalled that former Party President Girish Chodankar’s petition challenging the defection of 10 MLAs from Congress to BJP in 2019 is pending before the Supreme Court and its further hearing is expected in October or November. “Its ruling will have national ramifications,” Ferreira said.
The party has also decided to undergo a revival, a step repeated after every election defeat and defection. Upset with the development, GPCC President Amit Patkar said he was deeply pained while referring to BJP’s panic over Bharat Jodo Yatra.
“The CM boasted about having numbers and a majority. So why does he take more MLAs? Its time to cleanse our party and give the people of Goa true leaders to save our beautiful State,” the Aldona MLA added.
Quepem MLA Altone D’Costa assured to stick to his and the party’s principles and the values taught by his parents. “I have been elected to the Congress party, for the next five years we will work for the party and raise issues of people,” he said.
Cuncolim MLA Yuri Alemao, in an attempt to boost the morale of his party and regain people’s confidence, said that Congress is not finished with the defection.
In his tweet earlier during the day, AICC Goa In-Charge Dinesh Rao slammed the defectors for “betrayal and shamelessness.”
“People of Goa voted for these MLAs as they were Congress candidates. If BJP thinks that by doing Operation Khichad in Goa they are going to get stronger, then they will be in for a surprise. The people of India are witnessing their unholy & corrupt politics. Their Jar of Sins is filling up. The people will fight back. We will fight back,” he tweeted.
