Goa congress flew Sankalp Amonkar, Yuri Alemao, Altone D’Costa , Rudolfo Fernandes to Chennai. It feared these leaders would defect to the BJP ahead of the Presidential polls. Congress had previously accused BJP of attempting to cause defection in the party in Goa.
Goa Congress has recently shipped five of its MLAs to Chennai fearing their defection to BJP, image, AP
A week after accusing BJP of trying to cause defections, the Goa Congress flew 5 of its MLAs to Chennai. The party’s action came in the wake of an impending Presidential election on Monday. Sandeep Amonkar, Yuri Alemao, Altone D’Costa, and Rudolfo Fernandes flew to Chennai where Congress has an alliance with DMK. The regional Congress party flew them to Chennai on Friday. According to Dinesh Gundu Rao, AICC head in Goa, Congress did this to avert BJP’s pressure tactics.
“We have not shifted any MLAs, the 5 INC MLAs have gone to Chennai voluntarily to avoid incessant attempts, continuous calls, pressure tactics, and threats made by @DrPramod P Sawant and @BJP4India to engineer split in @INC Goa”, he tweeted.
According to sources, the MLAs will return to Panaji on Sunday evening. The Monsoon session of the Goa Assembly, which started on July 11th, will end on the 22nd of July.
Goa Congress MLA accused by Party of Promoting Defections to BJP
week, Congress removed Michael Lobo as Congress Legislative Party Leader. The party charged Lobo and ex-chief minister Digambar Kamat with trying to split its legislative wing. Goa Congress has also filed a disqualification petition against Kamat before the Assembly speaker. Meanwhile, Lobo and other leaders attended an AICC meeting that sought to repair the cracks within the party. AICC general secretary Mukul Wasnik was present there and has supposedly healed the cracks within Congress. Even then it has to fly its leaders to Chennai for fear of defections. The Goa Pradesh Congress Committee President, Amit Patkar accuses BJP of trying to cause defections.
“BJP Continues to pressurize our MLAs and their offers keep rising every day. They should accept healthy opposition and respect democracy and the people’s mandate. They are either offering huge sums of money or threatening to file cases”, he said. Meanwhile, BJP has refrained from commenting anything about Patkar’s accusations
(Inputs, Indian Express)
