PANAJI
The rumour mills began working overtime to resurrect the ghost of defections and muddle Goa's politics yet again after Sunday night's return of Michael Lobo from an indiscreet visit to Delhi.
The grapevine was agog with speculation that Lobo's visit to Delhi was to meet leaders of the BJP and work out the nitty-gritties of a defection which has been playing out in the news since July and culminated into him losing his Congress legislature party leadership.
For the record, Lobo has claimed that he had gone to Delhi to attend the public rally of the Congress protesting against inflation and price rise.
The Congress State president, Amit Patkar, however claimed he was unaware of Lobo's visit to Delhi.
“I am not aware of his visit. I have learnt of it from the media," Patkar said to reporters at the press conference he had called to announce the 'Bharat Jodo' nationwide padyatra of the party.
Meanwhile AICC spokesperson, Wing Cmdr (Retd) Anuma Acharya, who was here in connection with coordinating participation in the 'Bharat Jodo Padyatra' by leaders and workers from Goa said: "Congress will not stop anyone from leaving the party.”
Reports of a group of Congress MLAs switching camps have been circulation for the last two months ever since a revolt was aborted in July when last minute hitches left the group short of numbers.
A defecting group requires to be eight-MLAs strong to circumvent disqualification under the Xth Schedule. The episode however saw aggressive fight back from the High Command with AICC Goa desk in-charge Dinesh Gundu Rao castigating Lobo and former chief minister Digambar Kamat for conniving with the BJP to split the party.
The Congress High Command rushed senior leader Mukul Wasnik to Goa following which Lobo was stripped of his Opposition Leader post and the party also instituted disqualification proceedings against him and Kamat before the Speaker.
Meanwhile the question of electing the new CLP leader will be finalised by September 11 or 12 when Wasnik is expected to be in the State, Patkar said.
Patkar also said that he will meet Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar to pursue with him for the status of the disqualification petitions filed against Lobo and Kamat.
"I will meet him (Speaker) this week and seek the status of the petition," Patkar said.
BJP State president, Sadanand Tanavade, meanwhile made light of the speculations. He said, admitting or not admitting new members into the party are matters dealt and decided by the Central leadership.
