After losing their eight MLAs to BJP, Congress leaders accused the ruling party of luring the defectors with huge sums of money.
“The fear of raids and probes by central agencies, along with Rs 40-50 crore offers were made to the Congress leaders to defect,” All India Congress Committee Goa Desk in-charge Dinesh Gundu Rao said at a press conference on Thursday.
He questioned whether any BJP MLA received the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) notice or was probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
“The Opposition MLAs are BJP’s only target. Our fight is against this kind of politics because if we don’t act, the country will be
destroyed,” he said.
Rao also came down heavily on Calangute MLA Michael Lobo, former Leader of Opposition, as he equated him
to a ‘rat.’
“We thought he was a lion but he turned out to be a rat. There is no leadership quality in him. We thought he will remain loyal to Congress and hence, gave them the ticket to contest the 2022 assembly polls,” he lamented.
Goa Pradesh Congress Committee Amit Patkar claimed that one of their MLAs was approached with an offer of Rs 30 crore, which was raised by another 15 crores.
“The MLA accepted this offer and has switched sides,” he said while keeping the name under wraps.
