Panaji: Goa Congress seems to have managed to scuttle the defection in its fold with ten out of total eleven MLAs attending the meeting chaired by senior party leader Mukul Wasnik on Monday night in Panaji. Except former Chief Minister Digambar Kamat, rest all the MLAs including Michael Lobo, attended the meeting which went on for more than two hours at Congress’ state headquarters. Party’s Goa Desk incharge Dinesh Gundu Rao and Goa Pradesh Congress Committee President Amit Patkar were also present for the meeting.
Wasnik said that alike other parts of the country some people with “bad intentions” were trying to create defection in Congress in Goa but the legislators scuttled it by showing that they are united. He said that the meeting with the MLAs in Goa discussed how to work aggressively on the floor of the House and also strengthen the party in the state.
After the political developments on Sunday in which few of the Congress Legislature Party members did not attend the press conference invited by Rao, Patkar had filed disqualification petition against Kamat and Lobo on Monday before the Speaker of State Legislative Assembly Ramesh Tawadkar.
When asked whether disqualification petition would be withdrawn, Wasnik refused to reply on it. On asked whether about disqualification petition, he said “You don’t ask all questions now, let us keep something for later.”
Lobo who emerged from the meeting told reporters that he is with the Congress and there was “misunderstanding” by the party as he could not attend the press conference called on Sunday.
“All the Congress MLAs are with the party. I had told them that I don’t want to continue as Leader of Opposition because I would not be able to give justice to that post,” he said adding that senior leaders like Digambar Kamat or Sankalp Amonkar can be elected as the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly.
The party faced rebellion on Sunday with six out of eleven MLAs remaining absent for the press conference called by Rao to show the unity within the party. Rao had then announced action against Lobo and Kamat accusing them of conspiring with the BJP.
In major political twist, all the MLAs, who were rumoured to be with BJP, attended the first day of Assembly session on Monday pledging their support to Congress. (GoaNewsHub)
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