Goa Congress seeks disqualification of Michael Lobo and Digambar Kamat

Panaji, July 11: The Goa Congress has sought disqualification of two of its leaders Michael Lobo and Digambar Kamat from the Assembly amid reports of the two senior men engineering a defection in the party for a switchover to the BJP.

Goa Pradesh Congress Committee president Amit Patkar said disqualification petitions have been filed against Lobo and Kamat, adding that the Speaker had been informed about the party's decision to remove Lobo as Leader of Opposition in the Assembly.

"Disqualification petitions have been filed against both the MLAs as they have voluntarily given up membership of the party. There is a Supreme Court judgment which states that any anti-party activity amounts to giving up of the membership of the party." Patkar claimed.

He said the move by the BJP to split the Congress Legislative Party had failed as it could not muster the required numbers of legislators needed to do so without attracting anti-defection law provisions.

"The BJP wanted to repeat what they have done in Maharashtra through money and muscle power. We ensured on Sunday that the defection in our party stops," Patkar said.

The BJP is resorting to such tactics as it does not want any opposition in the states where they are ruling, Patkar alleged.

While rejecting the claims, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant insisted the party has nothing to do with the crisis.

"We don't need anyone, we have a stable govt with the support of 25 MLAs. Since they (Congress) have nothing to do, they are doing this blame-game drama," he told reporters.

Speculations were rife that Kamat and Lobo along with six other MLAs may jump ship and join the BJP.

Meanwhile, Digambar Kamat and Michael Lobo, who are accused of joining hands with the BJP, have stated that they are still with Congress, but they are hurt with the allegations against them.

In the assembly elections held this year, the BJP had emerged as the single largest party in Goa with 20 MLAs in the 40-member house, while the Congress won only 11 seats. If eight MLAs defect as a group, they can avoid disqualification.