the goan I network
CANACONA
A fortnight after Margao MLA and former chief minister Digambar Kamat’s disparaging remarks against his own Congress party, Canacona’s Congress MLA Isidore Fernandes also took a dig at his party and said offers he had received from other parties were largely due to many wasted opportunities by his own party to form a government.
“Getting offers and invitations from other parties, including the BJP, is nothing new for me. According to me, the reason for this is my Congress party itself,” said Fernandes, while speaking to The Goan.
“Not once or twice, the Congress party had failed to grasp opportunities to form the government at least four times during the current term alone, due to internal bickering for the chief minister’s chair.”
“All this has emboldened not only the BJP, but even two of its smaller coalition partners to attempt to lure Congress legislators,” Fernandes said.
“If the Congress legislature group was of one view, we could have had a Congress-led coalition government, and not BJP, on the night Dr Pramod Sawant was sworn in as chief minister,” claimed the Canacona MLA.
Fernandes said had he even taken the lead to compromise in a bid to form a Congress-led coalition government.
“This, however, failed every time because of internal bickering within the Congress party for the chief minister’s post. As a result, some local BJP leaders kept approaching me with offers, but I did not bother to consider them.”
“I have declined offers by other parties for the sake of my party, but my party has failed miserably every time opportunities knocked at our door to form the government.”
Fernandes then recalled he had been approached by Parrikar himself two years, and that, he had politely declined Parrikar’s offer.
“Parrikar categorically stated that he needed me in 2019. It’s another story altogether that I could get development works done in my constituency, something that no opposition MLA could dream of,” said Fernandes.
Fernandes rejected rumours that he had been offered certain amount and chairmanship of a corporation in return to exit the
ISIDORE: POINT BLANK
Getting offers, invitations from other parties, including BJP, is nothing new for me... the reason for this is Congress itself
Not once or twice, Congress had failed to grasp opportunities to form govt at least four times
Major reason for this was internal bickering for CM’s chair
I have declined offers by other parties for the sake of my party, but my party has failed miserably
All this emboldened not only BJP, but even coalition partners to attempt to lure Congress legislators
If Congress legislature group was of one view, we could have had a Congress-led coalition government
