This story is from July 12, 2022

Congress moves to disqualify Digambar Kamat, Michael Lobo

Congress filed disqualification petitions against former Goa CM Digambar Kamat and former leader of the opposition Michael Lobo on Monday, a day after MLAs led by Kamat failed to garner the support of the stipulated two-thirds of the party’s legislative strength needed to join BJP.
Congress rushes central leader to Goa after mutiny in ranks, reports say six MLAs keen to join ruling BJP
(L-R) Digambar Kamat and Michael Lobo (File photo)
PANAJI: Congress filed disqualification petitions against former Goa CM Digambar Kamat and former leader of the opposition Michael Lobo on Monday, a day after MLAs led by Kamat failed to garner the support of the stipulated two-thirds of the party’s legislative strength needed to join BJP.
In a petition filed before Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar, Congress accused Kamat and Lobo of working with BJP to break away two-thirds of its MLAs.
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“We have filed a disqualification petition against our two senior leaders because they have voluntarily given up their membership of the party. There is a Supreme Court judgment in 2020 that says that any anti-party activity amounts to voluntarily giving up membership of the party,” Congress state president Amit Patkar said.
Patkar acknowledged that there was a vertical split among Congress MLAs but said Kamat and Lobo could not manage the numbers. “We have managed to block the defections. For the first time, Congress has taken a proactive decision to prevent defections. We want a strong message to go out because the voter is suffering,” he said.
On Monday, the first day of the two-week monsoon session of the assembly, all 11 Congress MLAs attended the House and claimed they were part of Congress.
However, an MLA from the breakaway group told TOI on Monday that the rebel group was confident that the merger with BJP would happen. “It is a temporary blip. We will reattempt the merger and it will be done soon. One more MLA is ready to support our group,” the MLA said.
He claimed they already have seven MLAs on their side and are trying to win the support of one of the four remaining MLAs. The MLA said the merger would have happened on Sunday itself but for one of the MLAs, from North Goa, backing out at the last minute, while another MLA was stuck at Congress House where AICC Goa in-charge Dinesh Gundu Rao had convened a press conference. This left the breakaway group with six MLAs, two short of eight legislators, which would have been the stipulated two-thirds of the party’s legislative strength needed to join BJP.

“We don’t know why the MLA backed out after committing. He was probably worried that he may be unable to explain to his supporters why he has decided to shift. The other MLA, who was stuck in Congress House, is firmly with us and will move along with the group to BJP,” the MLA said.
Kamat, meanwhile, said he had never left the party and was “shocked and stunned” by the actions of Congress functionaries. “It has hurt me beyond words. If I wanted to go, I would have gone. No one can stop me. I led the party from the front, I went all out. And suddenly they changed me from leader of the opposition when the results came in,” he said.
Lobo, too, insisted that he was “strongly” with Congress and that he himself had told AICC Goa desk in-charge Dinesh Gundu Rao to replace him as opposition leader. “I’m not interested in continuing as leader of the opposition because there are various issues raised against me by the government. So I said it would be difficult and embarrassing for others,” he said.
Patkar claimed that seven of the 11 MLAs were firmly with Congress.
Meanwhile, Congress MP and AICC general secretary Mukul Wasnik arrived in Goa at around noon to take stock of the situation and convince the MLAs not to shift sides. Wasnik held meetings with Rao, Patkar and Nuvem MLA Alexio Sequeira, and later in the evening had one-on-one meetings with the other MLAs, including Lobo.
However, Kamat continued to stay away and skipped the meeting with Wasnik.
Till Sunday night the breakaway group led by Kamat comprised six MLAs — Sequeira, Lobo, Siolim MLA and Lobo’s wife Delilah Lobo, Saligao MLA Kedar Naik and Cumbharjua MLA Rajesh Phaldessai.
Before the assembly elections early this year, Congress had made its candidates sign an affidavit and swear an oath before a temple deity and a Catholic cross that they would not defect to BJP after getting elected.
When asked about the affidavit, Sequeira said, “The affidavit was taken on the assumption that we will form the government and we would not topple it. That was the spirit we had in that affidavit. If you ask me honestly, I don’t even know what I have signed. They have asked and I have signed. I have signed in true spirit and the affidavit is with the state Congress president.”
Three years ago, on July 10, the Congress Legislature Party had split, with the then opposition leader, Chandrakant “Babu” Kavlekar, leading a 10-member group of Congress MLAs to merge with BJP.
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