MARGAO: At a meeting of Congress workers from South Goa at the party's district office in Margao on Monday, it was decided to "rejuvenate" the party from the grassroots and to be the voice of the people. Addressing reporters after the meeting, Viriato Fernandes, a party functionary, said that party workers voiced their anger over the "betrayal of trust of the voters" and "murder of democracy" by the eight Congress MLAs who jumped to BJP recently. "We will go to the grassroots and explain to the people. BJP is the main culprit in this defection. They purchased our MLAs. We will go to all villages across Goa and rejuvenate the party," Fernandes said. He added, "Our foundation is strong, the party ideology is also strong, only those who had come for personal benefits have left." Margao MLA Digambar Kamat particularly came in for sharp criticism at the meeting. "We have to rebuild the party. We have to be the voice of the people and uphold the values of democracy. Our three MLAs will raise the issues of the people in the assembly, the party workers will work at the grassroots. We will take the battle forward," Fernandes said.
Margao: At a meeting of Congress workers from South Goa at the party’s district office in Margao on Monday, it was decided to “rejuvenate” the party from the grassroots and to be the voice of the people.Addressing reporters after the meeting, Viriato Fernandes, a party functionary, said that party workers voiced their anger over the “betrayal of trust of the voters” and “murder of democracy” by the eight Congress MLAs who jumped to BJP recently. “We will go to the grassroots and explain to the people. BJP is the main culprit in this defection. They purchased our MLAs. We will go to all villages across Goa and rejuvenate the party,” Fernandes said.He added, “Our foundation is strong, the party ideology is also strong, only those who had come for personal benefits have left.”Margao MLA Digambar Kamat particularly came in for sharp criticism at the meeting.“We have to rebuild the party. We have to be the voice of the people and uphold the values of democracy. Our three MLAs will raise the issues of the people in the assembly, the party workers will work at the grassroots. We will take the battle forward,” Fernandes said.
PANAJI: Seven of the eight MLAs who defected to BJP last week met Union home minister Amit Shah and BJP president J P Nadda at the party headquarters in Delhi on Monday. Chief minister Pramod Sawant, who accompanied the MLAs along with state BJP president Sadanand Shet Tanavade, told TOI that Shah and Nadda urged the MLAs to work for the development of the state, and that BJP should win both Lok Sabha seats in Goa. The Goan contingent, however, had to return without meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who cancelled the appointment at the last minute. Sawant told TOI that Modi cancelled the meeting because of his busy schedule, and that they would meet him next time. The meeting between the MLAs, Shah and Nadda took half an hour, and various issues were discussed. The seven MLAs are former CM Digambar Kamat (Margao), Aleixo Sequeira (Nuvem), Rodolfo Fernandes (Santa Cruz), Delilah Lobo (Siolim), Sankalp Amonkar (Mormugao), Kedar Naik (Saligao), and Rajesh Faldessai (Cumbarjua). Calangute MLA Michael Lobo was not part of the group, as he is in Kenya. Eight months after they did a run of a temple, a chapel and a mosque, taking a vow not to defect from Congress and even signing an affidavit pledging their loyalty to the party, eight of the 11 Congress MLAs “merged” the CLP into BJP taking the saffron party’s strength to 28 in the 40-member House. The three MLAs who remain with Congress are Quepem MLA Altone D Costa, Cuncolim MLA Yuri Alemao and Aldona MLA Carlos Ferreira. The merger of the CLP into BJP was held considering the upcoming Lok Sabha election, where BJP is eying both seats, especially South Goa, which has proved tough for the party to secure. So far, BJP has only won that seat twice. Chief minister Pramod Sawant is likely to reshuffle his cabinet after returning from Delhi. Sawant is likely to induct one minister initially. Nuvem MLA Aleixo Sequeira is likely to be the first to be inducted, political sources said. Whether Margao MLA Digambar Kamat is to be inducted in the state cabinet or moved to Delhi will be taken by the central leadership, a senior BJP leader had said. Ahead of the Delhi visit, Sawant also attended the coordination meeting called by RSS. The chief minister said that all the organisations connected with RSS attended the meeting.
PANAJI/VASCO: Chief minister Pramod Sawant will lead the seven MLAs, who merged the Congress legislative wing into BJP, in a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday. Sawant said that the seven MLAs will meet the PM, Union home minister Amit Shah and BJP national president J P Nadda. “Our visit to Delhi is purely meant to meet party leaders,” the chief minister told TOI at the Goa airport. Sawant, accompanied by BJP state president Sadanand Shet Tanavade, Rajya Sabha MP Vinay Tendulkar and five of the newly inducted MLAs left for Delhi by a late evening flight on Sunday. Tanavade said that other than meeting the PM, Union home minister and party’s national president, “nothing else has been planned during our scheduled visit to Delhi”. Michael Lobo told TOI that he is unable to attend the meeting on Monday as he is currently in Kenya and will return on Thursday. The five newly inducted MLAs who accompanied the CM and Tanavade on the flight to Delhi are Sankalp Amonkar, Delilah Lobo, Kedar Naik, Rudolf Fernandes and Aleixo Sequeira. Sources said that Digambar Kamat and Rajesh Phaldesai have already reached the national capital. The chief minister is likely to reshuffle his cabinet after returning from Delhi. Margao MLA Digambar Kamat and former leader of opposition and Calangute MLA Michael Lobo along with six other MLAs “merged” the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) with BJP, last week. Ahead of the Delhi visit, Sawant also attended the coordination meeting called by RSS. The chief minister said that all the organisations connected with RSS attended the meeting. Sawant is likely to induct one minister initially. Nuvem MLA Aleixo Sequeira is likely to be first to be inducted. Whether Kamat is to be inducted in the state cabinet or moved to Delhi will be taken by the central leadership, a senior BJP leader said. Besides Kamat and Lobo, the other MLAs who joined BJP are Sequeira, Rodolfo Fernandes (Santa Cruz), Michael’s wife Delilah (Siolim), Sankalp Amonkar (Mormugao), Kedar Naik (Saligao) and Rajesh Faldessai (Cumbarjua). Eight months after they did a run of a temple, a chapel and a mosque taking a vow not to defect from Congress and even signing an affidavit pledging their loyalty to the party, eight of the 11 Congress MLAs “merged” the CLP into BJP taking the saffron party’s strength to 28 in the 40-member House. The three MLAs who remained with Congress are Quepem MLA Altone D Costa, Cuncolim MLA Yuri Alemao and Aldona MLA Carlos Ferreira. The merger was held considering the upcoming Lok Sabha seat where BJP is eyeing to win both the seats especially the South Goa one which has proved tough to secure. So far BJP has only won the seat twice.
PANAJI: Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant will lead the 8 MLAs, who merged the Congress legislative wing into BJP, will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday. Sawant told TOI that the eight MLAs will meet the Prime Minister, Union home minister Amit Shah and BJP national president J P Nadda. The chief minister is likely to reshuffle his cabinet after returning from the national capital. Margao MLA Digambar Kamat and former leader of opposition and Calangute MLA Michael Lobo along with six other MLAs “merged” the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) with BJP, last week. Ahead of the Delhi visit, Sawant also attended the coordination meeting called by RSS. He said that all the organisations connected with RSS attended the meeting. Sawant is likely to induct one minister initially. Nuvem MLA Aleixo Sequeira is likely to be first to be inducted.
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Sunday said he will be traveling to Delhi with the eight newly inducted MLAs, who defected to the BJP from the Congress. Sawant and the MLAs are scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the national Capital.The chief minister, who attended an annual meeting of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on Sunday, said, “A meeting with the PM has been fixed. I will go with the eight MLAs and the (Goa BJP) president,” he told reporters.Eight MLAs – including former Goa chief minister Digambar Kamat and former leader of Opposition Micheal Lobo – who were elected to the Goa Legislative Assembly on Congress tickets, defected to the BJP on September 14, in a merger of the two legislature parties. With this, the Congress’s strength declined from 11 to just three MLAs in the 40-member Assembly and that of the BJP increased from 20 to 28.In July 2019, two-thirds (then 10 out of 15) of the Congress MLAs had defected to the BJP in a similar fashion. Back then too, the defections took place while Sawant helmed the government.The recent developments have dealt a blow to the Congress at a time when party leader Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra is underway. Along with Kamat and Lobo, MLAs including Lobo’s wife Delilah, former minister Aleixo Sequeira, Sankalp Amonkar, Kedar Naik, Rajesh Phal Dessai and Rudolfo Fernandes were welcomed into the saffron party by Pramod Sawant and state BJP chief Sadanand Tanavade last week.Sawant had said, “Congress has started a Bharat Jodo Yatra but in Goa the Congress Chhodo Yatra has begun. I welcome the new MLAs in BJP wholeheartedly… Before the election, we had resolved ‘Bavisaant Baavis plus (22 plus MLAs in 2022)’ and before 2022 comes to an end, the BJP has 28 of its own MLAs and the BJP’s foundation in Goa has been strengthened. In the Lok Sabha elections of 2024, we will definitely win both Parliamentary seats. With Congress Chhodo Yatra beginning in Goa, various Congress leaders from across the country will come to the BJP in the interest of the nation and give more strength to Modi-ji. And Modi-ji will be back as the Prime Minister in 2024 with over 400 (parliamentary) seats.”After the Assembly election results were declared on March 10, the BJP had formed the government with 20 of its own MLAs and support from two MLAs from the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) and three Independents. With eight Congress MLAs switching to the treasury benches in a merger of the legislature parties, the BJP now has 28 MLAs of its own and support from five, raising its tally to 33. The Opposition now consists of three Congress MLAs, two from the AAP and one each from the Goa Forward Party and the Revolutionary Goans Party.Stung first in 2019 with 10 of its 15 MLAs walking over to the BJP, the Congress had averted a repeat of the incident in July and accused Kamat and Lobo of engineering the defection of its MLAs. The party had also filed disqualification petitions against the two leaders before the Speaker of the Assembly. But the storm seemed to have blown over only for a while. With their respective trips to Delhi, both Kamat and Lobo had made it apparent that their entry into the BJP was imminent.Ahead of the Assembly election in February, the Congress had for the first time taken its election candidates to a temple, church and a dargah where they, led by Kamat, took an oath that they would stay in the Congress if elected on a party ticket. Later, they also filed affidavits to this effect in the presence of Rahul Gandhi.Asked if their oath before Goa was insincere, Kamat said: “I am a believer in God. About the oath which I have taken before God, I have gone back to the temple and I have asked God and the Goddess that this (joining BJP) is in my mind. What should I do? We have a system of getting prasad. Then God said, you go ahead, don’t worry.”AICC Goa desk in-charge Dinesh Gundu Rao had alleged that the BJP had paid Rs 30 crore to Rs 40 crore to each of the MLAs who jumped ship. He said that the BJP had spent Rs 240 crore for splitting the Congress in Goa.Goa BJP president Sadanand Tanavade had then said, “We did not go seeking any MLAs. They formed their group and said that they want to join our party. We have not given a single rupee to any one or made any promises. They have come on their own and they have come unconditionally. The Congress only wants to make such allegations against us to divert people’s attention.”
PANAJI: Chief minister Pramod Sawant said that the panchayat's role is not just restricted to granting construction licences, but to also serve the people, maintain cleanliness, conserve water bodies, and other related aspects. Sawant was speaking during the inauguration of a training programme by Goa Institute of Public Administration and Rural Development (GIPARD) for newly-elected representatives of village panchayats at Ravindra Bhavan, Margao on Thursday. The chief minister urged the panchs to be the link person between the government and reach out to the last person in society. He said told the panchs that they have a role to play in identifying persons with disabilities who require implants and assistive devices in their wards and help them in getting the devices which the government provides for free. Similarly, panch members can play a role in monitoring and identifying children under the age of six who require cochlear implant operation which costs over Rs 6 lakh where the family won't have to spend any money, he said. "If you identify children who are hearing impaired as early as possible, you can facilitate them and direct them to GMC, and they won't have to spend anything for the operation," Sawant said. He narrated the incident of a 34-year-old woman who suffered a spinal cord injury and was at home for four years, and she couldn't afford a wheelchair. The government provided her one and it was for the first time that she had gotten out of her house. "Whatever the cost of the wheelchair and other assistive devices, the government can bear the expenses," Sawant said. Sawant said Goa's utilisation of central government schemes is low compared to other states, despite it being an educated state, and urged panch members to reach out to those living in poverty and link them with schemes including self-sustaining schemes.
With eight of its 11 MLAs in Goa joining the BJP on Wednesday, the Congress party faced a second major instance of defection in the state in the past three-and-a-half years of BJP rule under Chief Minister Pramod Sawant.Despite his personal winning margin having shrunk to 666 votes in this year’s Assembly election, the BJP’s central leadership had decided to keep Sawant as Goa’s Chief Minister. He was, however, not without a challenger. Until the day Sawant was declared Chief Minister for a second time in March, state Health Minister Vishwajit Rane was very much in the reckoning for the top job. Tensions between Sawant and Rane have been no secret in Goa’s politics, and spilt over during the time the state was reeling under a crisis in the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic amid deaths of patients in the Goa Medical College in May 2021. Of late, there have been fewer manifestations of these tensions.The latest defection of Congress MLAs, which follows a similar move by 10 of the party’s Goa MLAs in 2019, is likely to cement Sawant’s position as the BJP’s top leader in the coastal state. When Sawant welcomed the Congress defectors into the party fold at the BJP headquarters in Panaji on Wednesday, he was asked if raising the BJP’s tally in the 40-member House from 20 to 28 gave him an advantage. “I am saying this again. The BJP is a party that has a central leadership. We are not a regional party. We are constantly working in the interest of the country,” he responded.In July, when an attempt at the defection that came through on Wednesday was foiled, Sawant had said that the BJP had a stable government in Goa and did not need any more MLAs. On Wednesday, he said, “If people want to come and join us, they are welcome.” Asked if any of the newly inducted MLAs would be accommodated in his Cabinet, he said, “That we will see. They have been accommodated in the party. They have joined us unconditionally.”That this decision was taken with an eye on the 2024 Lok Sabha polls was apparent when Sawant said, “…the BJP’s foundation in Goa has been strengthened. In the Lok Sabha elections of 2024, we will definitely win both the Parliamentary seats.”The BJP has been determined to wrest the South Goa parliamentary seat from the Congress. The entry of former chief minister and eight-time Margao MLA Digambar Kamat into the BJP fold gave fresh wind to speculation that he could be the party’s candidate from South Goa in 2024.Asked on Wednesday if a Cabinet berth or a ticket to contest the parliamentary election from South Goa were among his expectations on his return to the BJP, Kamat said, “I am such a senior leader. I have no expectations. I have joined them unconditionally.”Making inroads into the Catholic-dominated Salcete taluka has been among the BJP’s main challenges in South Goa. However, in the last Assembly election, with Opposition votes split between the Congress, AAP and TMC, the BJP won the Navelim seat and secured one MLA in Salcete, which is spread out over eight Assembly constituencies. With the addition of former minister Aleixo Sequeira to the BJP on Wednesday, the saffron party may also be hopeful of securing more votes from the Nuvem Assembly constituency, which is also in Salcete. With the addition of four Catholic MLAs — three in North Goa and one in the South — the number of Catholic MLAs in the BJP climbed from five to nine.The BJP, which formed the government in the state with the support of the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party and three Independents, has the support of two Independent Catholic MLAs from Salcete.Goa BJP president Sadanand Tanavade said that Kamat’s entry into the party would help the BJP in Margao, the majority-dominated constituency of Salcete. “In Margao, this will definitely help us. He has been an MLA eight times.”“Leaders of other parties have seen the good work done by the BJP government in Goa and at the Centre under the leadership of PM Modi. This is happening all over the country. More and more leaders want to join the BJP because they have seen our work,” Tanavade said.While mid-term changes in leadership are not alien to BJP-governed states, Sawant may have put speculation over this to rest in Goa with Wednesday’s events coming on the back of comfortably forming a government in March and scoring big in the panchayat elections in the state in August.
Not its beaches or scenic beauty, Goa now finds itself in the spotlight for its precarious politics defined by moments such as the defection of eight Congress MLAs to the BJP on Wednesday, effecting the merger of two-thirds of the Congress Legislature Party with the BJP for the second time in three years.Defections, mergers, and resignations are not alien to the rest of India. But, given their frequency in Goa in the last 50-plus years, few in the state were surprised by the latest episode. Here are five broad factors that influence the people of Goa, once described as “ajeeb (strange)” by former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, when they choose their public representatives.Just a very large villageWhat is striking about Goa’s politics is that Assembly constituencies are small and victory margins can sometimes be in two digits. Most MLAs know the residents of their constituencies by their first name. On festivals such as Ganesh Chaturthi, which is celebrated in Goa as Chovoth or Christmas, some MLAs visit the homes of nearly all their voters to greet them personally. They make assurances in terms of securing government jobs for their constituents or helping them get various permissions for their businesses.Former Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar, who quit the BJP ahead of the Assembly election in February and contested as an Independent, said, “It is a small state with small constituencies. Where there are 25,000 to 30,000 voters, getting 10,000 can make you win. So what happens is that one can get about 4,000-5,000 votes on their goodwill or personal help that they may have extended to some people and about 5,000 to 6,000 votes can just be bought. Elections are like an investment and that is why MLAs want to be in power to recover these investments. I am not accusing all MLAs but this has been very common and it will not change until the people decide that their votes cannot be bought.”Personalities over partiesPolitical families in various parts of Goa have a tight grip on their constituencies and the voters have placed faith not on the parties that their MLAs belong to but on the individual, trusting them to get their work done. In various talukas, these families have been in power despite shifting loyalties from one party to another. Former Goa Chief Minister Pratap Singh Rane remained an undefeated Congress MLA in the Poriem seat of Sattari taluka for 45 years. But as soon as the octogenarian withdrew from the election fray before the Assembly polls this year, his daughter-in-law Deviya Rane made her political debut from Poriem as a BJP candidate and scored the highest winning margin of 13,943 in the state.Similarly, in the Tiswadi taluka of which Panaji is a part, Goa Revenue Minister Atanasio “Babush” Monserrate exerts a similar hold. He and his wife Jennifer have both been elected from the neighbouring constituencies of Panaji and Taleigao respectively on Congress tickets in the 2017 elections and a bypoll in 2019. They won this year’s Assembly polls from the BJP. Their son Rohit is the mayor of the Panaji city corporation.Double engine mattersWhile it may appear from a distance that party ideology does not seem to matter to the Goan electorate, the author of Ajeeb Goa’s Gajab politics (Strange Goa’s astonishing politics) Sandesh Prabhudesai begs to differ. “If that was the case, Michael Lobo would have never gone to the Congress. He comes from a Christian-dominated constituency, ” he said.The writer explained that Lobo’s previous victories from the BJP and that of five other Christian MLAs came at a time when the church had backed five Christian MLAs from the BJP to teach the Congress a lesson. He said, “Though the minority is about 25 per cent of the population in Goa, they are concentrated in 24 constituencies out of 40. That is more than half the constituencies. That is why even though they are a minority, they become the majority. It is a funny thing.”Prabhudesai also said that Goa had a “UT mentality”. “In 2014, the Narendra Modi government came to power at the Centre. In Goa, right from the beginning, the double-engine government has worked. Since it was a Union Territory (UT) before, it was dependent on the Centre. The mentality is also the UT mentality but by the time the 2022 election came, it was just not possible for the Church to support the BJP anymore. That’s the reason you’ll see many Christian MLAs of the BJP were defeated. You cannot say that the ideology does not matter anymore. For politicians, it may not matter but for the people it does,” the author said.Overlapping interests in land, businesses and politicsIn a state where tourism and, until 10 years ago, mining were the mainstays, many politicians have interests in these businesses or have been traditional landholders. Their businesses generate employment in their constituencies or in some constituencies, people may be beholden to them because they own land. Many MLAs across parties including have large interests in tourism. They own resorts and restaurants and tourism allied activities. Other MLAs are related to the mining business or allied mining activities, Prabhudesai pointed out.Religion and casteEven if the BJP is seen as a party pandering to its predominantly Hindu vote bank, the party formed its third consecutive government in a state that is still perceived as secular. While religion and caste do play a role in how elected representatives are chosen, they play out a little differently in Goa. Christian MLAs do win in seats dominated by the minority but some win even in seats dominated by Hindus like the Monserrates in Panaji and Taleigao. The Christian-dominated taluka of Salcete remains a hard turf for the BJP to break into but its Hindu MLA won a seat in the taluka this election – thanks to Opposition votes splitting three ways. But few play the religion or caste card in the election campaign.Academicians said candidates who win from various constituencies in the state generally represent the demographic of that constituency. Like a Christian candidate may win in a constituency that has a higher Christian population and similarly a Bhandari candidate may win in seats that have more Bhandari voters, but votes are never sought on those grounds.
VASCO: Mormugao MLA Sankalp Amonkar, who joined BJP on Wednesday along with seven of his colleagues, said that he was forced to leave Congress as it failed to help grow his political career. "I have served the party for the past about 25 years. The party failed to recognise my hard work. I was expecting the GPCC president's post and leader of opposition, but the party leaders disappointed me. I was forced to leave the party amidst disappointments," Amonkar told TOI. Stating that he was always worried about developmental works in his constituency as also the employment issues facing the youth of Mormugao, Amonkar said, "These were possible only if I was in the ruling. I have gone through BJP's manifesto for Mormugao. I will see that all works listed are fulfilled." He said that he will ensure that all problems plaguing the constituency are resolved.
PANAJI: A day after eight MLAs deserted Congress, the party's Goa desk in-charge Dinesh Gundu Rao alleged that each was given Rs 40 crore in addition to offers of ministerships and heads of corporations in a bid to split Congress. The legislators, he said, quit for "selfish reasons" and not for the development of their constituencies as some of them claimed. "One MLA was unwilling (to jump ship), and stakes went up to Rs 50 crore. They left purely because of money and power, and some due to the threats of action against them," Rao said. Terming the eight MLAs as "garbage", Rao said the first lot went in 2019, and the second lot, now. He apologised to the people and admitted that the party's judgment of the eight legislators was wrong. "No injustice was done to the MLAs," he said and explained that they were given tickets on the premise that they would work as responsible legislators whether in the government or in the opposition. "They have betrayed not just us but also the people of Goa and God. It is shameful what BJP and the eight MLAs have done." Rao also blamed former chief minister Digambar Kamat and former opposition leader Michael Lobo for breaking the party. The two, he said, were at the forefront of the split despite having taken the lead in pledging loyalty to Congress at a temple, church and mosque, and also signing affidavits ahead of the February 2022 polls. "We thought Lobo was a lion but he proved to be a rat," he said. "Congress is fighting BJP to stop the use of money and government institutions to grab power at any cost. Our fight will continue. The Bharat Jodo yatra led by Rahul Gandhi is to stop the wrongs of BJP." Stating that the party will be reorganised within a month, Rao said the three remaining Congress MLAs will be more effective and prove to be a strong opposition.
A day after eight of its 11 MLAs left the party and joined the BJP, the Congress alleged that the BJP gave each of the legislators “Rs 30-40 crore” to make the switch.All India Congress Committee (AICC) Goa Desk in-charge Dinesh Gundu Rao said on Thursday that the reasons the MLAs defected to the BJP were “power, money and the threats of agencies or government action against them”.“I have collected information, each of these people were given Rs 30-40 crore. For one of our MLAs who was not ready to go, the stakes went up to Rs 50 crore plus a ministry. Where is the money coming from? The money is coming from big business houses, (from) all the corruption they are doing,” Rao said. “They spent Rs 240 crore on eight MLAs. Who funded them and for what purpose?” he asked.The BJP denied the allegations. “We did not go seeking any MLAs. They formed their group and said that they want to join our party. We have not given a single rupee to anyone or made any promises. They have come on their own and they have come unconditionally. The Congress only wants to make such allegations against us to divert people’s attention,” Sadanand Tanavade, the BJP’s Goa unit president, said.He also said the decision regarding the induction of the eight Congress MLAs was taken by the BJP’s central leadership: “The local unit cannot take such a big decision on its own… Had this proposal come to me personally, then I would have perhaps said no.” He said that the Congress MLAs had attempted a cross over in July, but the move did not come through. When they could gather the required numbers, they informed the BJP’s central leadership, which then asked the state leaders to induct them into the party, Tanavade said.Congress’s Rao said his party had erred in picking its election candidates. Regarding former Leader of Opposition Micheal Lobo, who came to the Congress from the BJP ahead of the Assembly polls in February only to return to the BJP on Wednesday, Rao said, “We thought he was a tiger but he turned out to be mouse.”While MLAs who defected, like Lobo and Sankalp Amonkar, had claimed that there was in-fighting in the Congress and that the party had been unfair to its long-time members and senior leaders, Rao rubbished their claims. “The Congress party has done no wrong, no injustice to these eight people… What they have done is shameful. It is like betraying your own mother,” he said.Rao, however, admitted that the Congress made a mistake in getting the Lobos — Micheal and his wife Delilah — on board. “I cannot say we are not at fault,” he said.“I humbly apologise to the people of Goa… Our judgement has gone wrong, I admit,” said Rao.Asked about the party not being able to keep its flock together, Rao said, “If somebody put Rs 30 crore in front of them, then what will we do? We cannot chain them.”Newsletter | Click to get the day’s best explainers in your inbox“People are angry with us, but we won’t stop. We will go out and win the hearts of the people… The Congress party has not split. Eight betrayers, eight frauds have left… We will take this as a challenge and go back to the people,” he said. He added that the Congress’s doors would be shut to them forever.Meanwhile, the Goa legislative Assembly notified the merger of two-thirds of the Congress’s legislature party with the BJP’s legislature party. “Hon’ble Speaker has taken note of the same and accordingly, seats are allotted to the (eight) members as members of Bhartiya Janata Party in the House,” the notification stated.Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said that he would visit Delhi with the newly inducted MLAs, but the date was yet to be finalised. He said a meeting with BJP national president J P Nadda, Home Minister Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi would be lined up.
PANAJI: A day after eight Congress MLAs in Goa joined the Bharatiya Janata Party, the grand old party on Thursday accused the ruling outfit of luring away the legislators by offering Rs 40-50 crore to each one of them. Read AlsoEight of Cong’s 11 Goa MLAs break away, merge with BJPEight months after they did a run of a temple, a chapel and a mosque taking vows not to defect from Congress and even signing an affidavit pledging their loyalty to the party, eight of the 11 Congress MLAs “merged” the Goa Congress Legislature Party into BJP on Wednesday, taking the saffron party’sCongress's Goa desk in-charge Dinesh Gundu Rao, who arrived in Goa in the wake of the political developments in the coastal state, made these allegations in a press conference. The BJP, however, rubbished the charges saying that the eight Congress legislators joined the ruling party not for monetary gains but because they were impressed by its development agenda. The eight Congress MLAs, including former chief minister Digambar Kamat, on Wednesday joined the ruling BJP, dealing a body blow to the opposition party which is now left with just three MLAs in the 40-member Assembly. "Money to the tune of Rs 40-50 crore was paid to each MLA to switch over, or maybe they were having the fear of the central agencies. The national party (BJP) is doing such things everywhere. Where is all this money coming from? They are misusing the power. They are breaking the elected representatives," Rao alleged. The BJP is coming with thousands of crores of rupees and targeting the opposition MLAs through agencies like Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED), he claimed. "Has even one ED notice been issued to any BJP MLA? This is the kind of politics that we are fighting against. If we don't fight, then the country will be destroyed," he said. Goa Pradesh Congress Committee president Amit Patkar said one of the MLAs was initially approached (by the BJP) with Rs 30 crore cash, but he was not ready for that amount. Hence, in order to convince him, additional Rs 10 crore were offered to him within two hours. "But since he was not willing even after that, he was given Rs 5 crore more, only after which he agreed," he said without naming the MLA. During the press conference, Rao lashed out at Michael Lobo, one of the MLAs who joined the BJP, calling him a "rat". "We thought he (Lobo) was a lion, but he turned out to be a rat. There is no leadership quality in him," Rao said, adding that the Congress had consulted several people before giving a ticket to Lobo and they had given a positive feedback. "We thought that he will remain in the Congress. We gave him ticket and supported him. At that point of time, it was a right decision. We felt that his coming in was good for us. But it was a mistake for us to take such kind of a person," he said. The BJP retained power in the coastal state after the state Assembly elections in February this year. Before the Congress MLAs joined the BJP on Wednesday, the ruling party had 20 MLAs in the Assembly. The Congress' strength has now came down to three. BJP's Goa unit president Sadanad Shet Tanavade, however, dismissed the Congress's allegations. He said the eight legislators joined the BJP not for monetary gains, but because they were impressed by the party's development agenda. "BJP's central leadership gave a green signal to the induction of these eight MLAs, who have joined without any condition," Tanavade said. He said the Congress MLAs realised that their party was getting vanished and that the BJP was working on the agenda of development. PTI RPS KRK NP NP
PANAJI: The brazen move by eight Congress MLAs to break their vow and jump to BJP inspired a string of memes on social media platforms as the common man expressed displeasure with the hop, skip and jump displayed on Wednesday morning. Unable to deal with yet another political churn, the tech-savvy vented out in a no-holds barred effort to troll the legislators. Margao MLA Digambar Kamat, who claimed to have got the Almighty's blessings before changing his political loyalty, bore most of the brunt of the online satirists. From seeking matka numbers to calls for ordaining him as a cardinal, most people refused to fall for the former chief minister's claims of hearing heavenly voices. One particular meme that was quickly shared on WhatsApp said that Kamat spoke to God who informed him about the Kalyan matka winning combination of numbers. The meme went on to say that Kamat is the official spokesperson of God. Given that prayers of most devotees go unanswered, Michael Jude Gracias urged people to turn to Kamat for spiritual solace. "Devan tujem magnnem aikonk na zalear, Digambarak mell. Tache lagim Devacho hotline asa direct sorgar. (If God does not hear your prayers, go and meet Digambar. He has a hotline to heaven)," said Gracias. Kamat has attracted derision after he claimed that he went to a temple to explain to God his situation and his reason for joining BJP. Prior to the elections, he swore an oath at the Mahalaxmi temple in Panaji and the Fulancho Khuris shrine at Bambolim, promising not to defect and join BJP. On Wednesday, when asked by reporters about his earlier oath, Kamat said, "God told me to take a decision. He is with me." One of the memes circulating on social media Memes not only from Goa, but across countryImpressed by Kamat’s piety and discernment, a Delhibased communication specialist Aftab Shaikh said the Margao MLA should be consecrated as Goa’s second cardinal as “he can directly communicate with god.” On Twitter, The Goan Pao, who often has a humorous take on everything Goan, joined in the rib-tickling. “I wanted to eat five cutlet paos yesterday and then God told me to decide accordingly and he would support me,” said the handle, whose owner prefers to remain anonymous. While the truant legislators may have piqued the interest of political watchers, the situation also provided some relationship lessons for a local lass, Shreeya Kudchadkar. “I may have commitment issues but at least I’m not a Congress MLA in Goa,” she said. The memes were not limited to only Goans, with Hardeep Saggu from Bareilly issuing a light-hearted warning to Kamat. “Don’t meet God too often, he might end up liking you and might keep you with him forever,” said Saggu. Kamat’s prompt reply has also given employees a new way to befuddle their managers. Forensic expert Samiksha Govenkar said that the next time her manager asks her about not completing tasks, she has her reply ready. “I believe in God. I went to God and told him that I feel lazy today and asked him what to do. God told me to go ahead and skip work, I’m with you,” said Govenkar in a tweet.
Panaji: The brazen move by eight Congress MLAs to break their vow and jump to BJP inspired a string of memes on social media platforms as the common man expressed displeasure with the hop, skip and jump displayed on Wednesday morning. Unable to deal with yet another political churn, the tech-savvy vented out in a no-holds barred effort to troll the legislators.Margao MLA Digambar Kamat, who claimed to have got the Almighty’s blessings before changing his political loyalty, bore most of the brunt of the online satirists. From seeking matka numbers to calls for ordaining him as a cardinal, most people refused to fall for the former chief minister’s claims of hearing heavenly voices.One particular meme that was quickly shared on WhatsApp said that Kamat spoke to God who informed him about the Kalyan matka winning combination of numbers. The meme went on to say that Kamat is the official spokesperson of God.Given that prayers of most devotees go unanswered, Michael Jude Gracias urged people to turn to Kamat for spiritual solace. “Devan tujem magnnem aikonk na zalear, Digambarak mell. Tache lagim Devacho hotline asa direct sorgar. (If God does not hear your prayers, go and meet Digambar. He has a hotline to heaven),” said Gracias.Kamat has attracted derision after he claimed that he went to a temple to explain to God his situation and his reason for joining BJP. Prior to the elections, he swore an oath at the Mahalaxmi temple in Panaji and the Fulancho Khuris shrine at Bambolim, promising not to defect and join BJP. On Wednesday, when asked by reporters about his earlier oath, Kamat said, “God told me to take a decision. He is with me.”Impressed by Kamat’s piety and discernment, a Delhi-based communication specialist Aftab Shaikh said the Margao MLA should be consecrated as Goa’s second cardinal as “he can directly communicate with God.”On Twitter, The Goan Pao, who often has a humorous take on everything Goan, joined in the rib-tickling. “I wanted to eat five cutlet paos yesterday and then God told me to decide accordingly and he would support me,” said the handle, whose owner prefers to remain anonymous. While the truant legislators may have piqued the interest of political watchers, the situation also provided some relationship lessons for a local lass, Shreeya Kudchadkar. “I may have commitment issues but at least I’m not a Congress MLA in Goa,” she said. The memes were not limited to only Goans, with Hardeep Saggu from Bareilly issuing a light-hearted warning to Kamat. “Don’t meet God too often, he might end up liking you and might keep you with him forever,” said Saggu.Kamat’s prompt reply has also given employees a new way to befuddle their managers when they turn up late or well, do not turn up at all. Forensic expert Samiksha Govenkar said that the next time her manager asks her about not completing tasks, she has her reply ready. “I believe in God. I went to God and told him that I feel lazy today and asked him what to do. God told me to go ahead and skip work, I’m with you,” said Govenkar in a tweet.
