the goan I network
MARGAO
Is the Congress party still in shock mode that it could not even hold a token protest to condemn the desertions by the 10 party MLAs led by
Leader of the Opposition Babu Kavlekar?
It’s now four days since the Congress had suffered the massive jolt, but one has not still not heard of even a token protest, leave alone any agitation in Congress stronghold Salcete, which has seen the desertion by as many as three MLAs “ Filipe Neri Rodrigues, Wilfred D’Sa and Clafacio Dias.
And, strange it may seem, but true that when the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) staged a protest at the Margao Municipal Council square on Saturday evening, former chief minster Digambar Kamat with PCC secretary Damu Shirodkar and MMC councillor Doris Texeira in tow joined the protest.
While Digambar addressed the workers of the Social Democratic Party of India, saying the mass defections have raised a question or two whether democracy still exists in India or not, his presence at the protest threw up a question or two why the remaining five Congress MLAs, including the MLAs from Salcete, including Digambar, Luizinho Faleiro and Reginaldo Lourenco or for that matter GPCC chief Girish Chodankar or district chief Joe Dias, who all hail from Salcete, did not call for similar protests.
“I have come to express my support to the SDPI which has called this protest. What is happening in Goa is bad. Just imagine when the Leader of the Opposition is walking out of a party to embrace another party,” Kamat said.
He added: “MLAs are elected for five years. After the term, they have to go back to the people, but this is not happening. The SDPI has taken up this important issue. We have to bring awareness among the people”.
Saying that the anti-defection law was enacted to curb defections taking place in the country, including Goa, Kamat underscored the need to review the law given that people have even managed to manipulate the two-third majority provision.
Sources in the know said the South Goa District Committee headed by Joe Dias had a meeting in the district office on Saturday evening.
Though the meeting was fixed earlier before the party was hit by the political storm, the District Committee has not chalked out any plan of agitation at the meet.
Sources told The Goan that the South Goa district office on Saturday pulled down the photographs of Babu Kavlekar, Filipe Neri Rodrigues, Wilfred D’Sa, Clafacio Dias and Isidore Fernandes at the instance of District President Joe Dias. These ex-MLAs, who have all deserted the party to join the BJP, were all seen with South Goa MP
Francisco Sardinha in the photographs clicked at the felicitation programme organised by the District Committee last month.
