Charged for ‘hobnobbing with BJP’
Team News Riveting
Panaji, July 10
The Congress on Sunday sacked Michael Lobo as the leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Goa Assembly for allegedly conspiring to engineer a defection in the party.
AICC observer Dinesh Gundu Rao said a conspiracy was hatched and led by Lobo and former Chief Minister Digambar Kamat to engineer a split and weaken the party. The development comes amid speculation that some of the Congress MLAs in the 40-member House might switch over to the ruling BJP in Goa.
“LoP Michael Lobo and former Chief Minister Digambar Kamat were hatching a conspiracy by hobnobbing with BJP to ensure defection in Congress in Goa. The party has decided to remove Lobo from the post of the Leader of Opposition,” Rao said. The Congress party will take action against both Lobo and Kamat, he added.
The Congress currently has 11 MLAs in Goa.
Rao said five party MLAs – Lobo, Kamat, Kedar Naik, Rajesh Faldesai and Delialah Lobo – have gone out of touch. However, five others including Altone D’Costa, Sankalp Amonkar, Yuri Alemao, Carlose Alvares Ferreira, Rudolf Fernandes – were present at the press conference.
The Sixth MLA, Aleixo Sequeira is reported to be in contact with party leaders and is very much with the Congress, Rao said.
