Goa Congress to probe Lobo and Kamat for ‘engineering defections’

Lobo sacked as LoP; BJP throwing enormous sums of money to engineer defections, says party-in-charge for State Gundu Rao

The politically volatile coastal State of Goa was buffeted yet again by winds of turbulence as the Goa Congress headed for a major split engineered by its senior leaders Michael Lobo and former Chief Minister Digambar Kamat in co-ordination with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Amid frenzied speculation since Saturday of a number of Goa Congress MLAs defecting en masse to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Goa desk in-charge Dinesh Gundu Rao, in a late evening press conference on Sunday said that Mr. Lobo, the MLA from Calangute, had been removed from his post of Leader of Opposition in Goa Legislative Assembly while Mr. Kamat would be probed for anti-party activities by hobnobbing with the BJP.

While the BJP apparently tried to poach eight of 11 Congress MLAs via Mr. Lobo and Mr. Kamat, Mr. Rao implied that the attempt had failed as the Congress still retained six of its MLAs.

“Let’s see how many will move [to the BJP] …we have six of our MLAs and are in touch with some more. But Congress will not be weakened. We will take up this issue of betrayal to the Goan people which is engineered by two people for sake of power and personal gain,” he said, accusing the BJP of using money power.

Over the weekend, political mills were buzzing overtime in the coastal State with reports of Mr. Lobo and Mr. Kamat, along with an unspecified number of Congress MLAs, planning to join the BJP. Both issued strenuous denials remarking there was no truth in these suggestions, with Mr. Lobo vehemently denying reports till Sunday.

However, Mr. Lobo’s intentions became clear when he skipped the 6.45 pm press meet at Congress House called by Mr. Rao for all 11 Congress MLAs to make a united stand in order to dispel the suggestions of a mass defection. Sources said that Mr. Lobo had reached Chief Minister Sawant’s residence late evening.

When a number of MLAs including Mr. Lobo, his wife Delilah, Mr. Kamat, Rajesh Faldessai and Kedar Naik did not turn up, the crisis within the party intensified.