MARGAO
In the unending political twists and turns in Curtorim constituency ahead of the 2022 Assembly election, ex-Curtorim Zilla Panchayat member, Moreno Rebello, who had quit the Congress on December 10 to embrace the BJP, has quit the ruling party on Thursday.
Though Moreno said he would discuss his future political course in the coming days, sources did not rule out the possibility of Moreno returning back to the Congress fold in the immediate future.
Around 20 days after he had embraced the party with much fanfare in the presence of ruling party members, including Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, party president Sadanand Tanavade and others on his home turf Curtorim on December 10, Moreno said he felt suffocated in the BJP following pressure from all quarters, including his family and well wishers.
The BJP top leadership had gone to the town on December 9 with an announcement that a big Congress leader from South Goa is joining the party the following day. Sources say Moreno’s decision to quit the BJP may leave the party leadership sulking since the party had rushed to welcome him in the party on December 10, coinciding with the visit of Congress national leader Priyanka Gandhi in South Goa.
Briefing the media in the presence of Curtorim Deputy Sarpanch Simon Barretto on Thursday evening after tendering his resignation to the Party President in the morning, Moreno said he had joined the BJP in order to contest the coming polls on the BJP symbol. “Recent developments across the country after Christmas created lot of problems for me after the atrocities on the minorities. There was pressure on me from my well wishers and family to leave the BJP. Secondly, there was an allegation that I have sold my soul to the BJP. I want to make very clear that when I had joined the BJP, it was not for my personal benefit nor for any monetary gain. All I had asked the Chief Minister was a list of works, which could not be taken up may be due to time constraint and that the party did not take me into confidence,” he said.
Saying he was abused on social media after joining the BJP, Moreno said sermons were preached against him for his decision to join the BJP. “Even my son had questioned me over my decision to join the BJP,” he added.
Moreno said he would take a call on his political future in the coming days. “Congress leaders have not approached me to join the party, but my well-wishers in the party have been asking me to return back to the party,” he said.
Political twists and turns in Curtorim
MARGAO: Raia ZP member Dominic Gaonkar was the first to join the Aam Aadmi Party after ex-Congress MLA Reginaldo Lourenco decided to stay put with the Congress on September 5.
Congress leader and ex-Curtorim ZP member Moreno Rebello quit the Congress on December 10 even before the Congress could announce Reginaldo’s candidature for Curtorim. And, when the Congress re-nominated Reginaldo for Curtorim in the first list of candidates, the three-time MLA quit the party last week to join the Trinamool Congress.
At a time when many thought that Moreno would cross swords against Reginaldo on the BJP Lotus symbol, he has quit the ruling party and is now expected to return back to the Congress fold.
