Panaji: Goa Congress in-charge Dinesh Gundu Rao has scoffed rumours that some Congress MLAs are camping in Delhi and are in talks with the BJP leaders to join their fold.
Sources said that Rao arrived in Goa to persuade the MLAs who have made their minds to join BJP. These Congress MLAs (group) who are keen to join BJP have demanded three cabinet berths and other key posts, sources said.
“Goa is always full of speculations. I don’t see anyone (keen to join BJP), these are rumours, right from day one. I think we should not unnecessarily speak about this speculative thing… all are together,” Rao said.
He said that as Congress is in opposition, the party is gearing up to put the government on mat during assembly session.
“There are many issues concerning Goa, 100 days are celebrated by BJP. I don’t know for what they are celebrating,” he said.
He said that the government has not addressed issues pertaining to the state. “So I think as opposition party we have to represent the people and see that their money is spent well,” he said.
BJP’s Goa desk in-charge C.T. Ravi had on May 28 said that five MLAs from the opposition are interested to join the ruling side.
In October 2019, ten Congress MLAs along with leader of the Opposition Chandrakant Kavalekar had switched to BJP. However, he lost the assembly election in February 2022. Kavalekar’s joining the ruling fold had invited ire and criticism from a section of the society.
Current leader of the opposition Michael Lobo, who was Minister in BJP’s last term and joined Congress before the election, was in news for allegedly trying to switch along with other five legislators. However, he had refuted the rumours saying it was a false news created by social media platforms to draw people’s attention towards their ventures.
Congress Goa President Amit Patkar has also rejected the speculations saying Congress MLAs are united. “It just a rumour, no one is going anywhere,” he said.
