Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Sept 14: The ruling BJP consolidated its position in Goa at the cost of the Congress which virtually collapsed in the state as eight of its 11 members joined the saffron party on Wednesday, barely two months after the party seemed to have staved off the defection bid and had managed to halt the procession.
The “Operation Lotus” was carried out despite the fact that before the elections to the state Assembly all the Congress candidates had taken oath in the presence of the senior party leader Rahul Gandhi that they would keep allegiance to the party when elected on its symbol.
It was also hugely embarrassing for the Congress that its virtual annihilation in Goa was carried out in the middle of the Gandhi-led “Bharat Jodo Yatra” which the BJP had termed as “Bharat Todo” and had “advised” Gandhi to first carry out “Congress Jodo” instead of embarking upon the unification of India.
The joining of the eight Congress MLAs in the party was announced by the chief minister Pamod Sawant who claimed that the Congress defectors led by the former chief minister Digambar Kamat had agreed to join the BJP “unconditionally.” With the joining of the eight Congress members the BJP’s strength in the 40-member state Assembly went up to 28.
The BJP with only 20 members so far was precariously placed and was in power only with the support of two members of the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party and three independents. The ruling group’s strength now go up to 33 with only three remaining members of the Congress, one from its alliance partner the Goa Forward Party, two members of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and one of the Revolutionary Goans Party to sit in the opposition.
With eight MLAs breaking away as a group — that is two thirds of the party strength — they can’t be disqualified under the anti-defection law. These included, Kamat, Michael Lobo, the former leader of the opposition, Michael Lobo’s wife Delilah Lobo, Rajesh Phaldesai, Kedar Naik, Sankalp Amonkar, Aleixo Sequeira and Rudolf Fernandes.
“It is Congress chhoro (quit Congress), BJP ko jodo,” quipped Michael Lobo as the MLAs announced their switch in what’s being called yet another ‘Operation Lotus’, named after the BJP’s poll symbol.
“It’s ‘Operation Kichad (Mud)’,” reacted Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera. “The BJP used all kinds of tactics — central probe agencies, threats by goons, lure of money — to do this, because it is rattled by the Bharat Jodo Yatra.” Congress ally Goa Forward Party reacted with scorn too, saying the defecting MLAs are “symbols of pure evil”.
Digambar Kamat and Michael Lobo were at the centre of the switchover speculation in July too, and the Congress had even asked the speaker to disqualify them under the anti-defection law. The party removed Michael Lobo as Leader of Opposition, but no replacement was named.
This morning, the MLAs’ meeting with the Speaker set off the speculation as the assembly is not in session. In July Kamat had said he was “shocked and stunned” at the allegations of leading a division. Even Michael Lobo, who was in the BJP before joining the Congress ahead of elections earlier this year, had claimed there was “no talk of any division.”
After joining the BJP, Kamat said, “We are unhappy with Congress. We saw what happened with Ghulam Nabi Azad,” referring to the senior leader who recently quit the party while questioning Rahul Gandhi’s political acumen. “We will work with prime minister Narendra Modi and Goa CM Pramod Sawant for betterment of the state.”
Goa Congress had splintered in a similar fashion in 2019, when two thirds of its assembly strength — 10 of 15 MLAs — defected to the BJP, which is why the party this year made its candidates take a “loyalty vow” but apparently that didn’t work.
Welcoming the rebel Congress MLA, the Goa CM said, “The Congress’ Bharat Jodo yatra has turned into a Congress Chhodo (leave Congress) yatra in Goa. They have all joined us unconditionally, being influenced by PM Modi ‘s resolution to build a New India. What has started in Goa, will be soon seen across country as Congress leaders will leave to join the BJP. We are confident of winning both the Lok Sabha seats in Goa in 2024.”
