Goa Congress in disarray, may see more defections
THREE OTHER CONG LEGISLATORS MAY ALSO QUIT THE PARTY IN THE COMING DAYS AND ARE IN TOUCH WITH THE BJP SAID PARTY INSIDERS
NEW DELHI : The defection of two Congress legislators to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Goa has left the grand old party in disarray in the state as it fears more desertions in the coming days, according to functionaries familiar with the matter.
A section in the Goa Congress claims that former chief minister and veteran leader Pratapsingh Rane is likely to switch sides if the BJP appoints his son Vishwajit Rane as the next chief minister in place of the ailing Manohar Parrikar. Vishwajit Rane, who quit the Congress last March and later joined the BJP, holds the portfolios of health and women and child development in the Parrikar cabinet. He has emerged the front-runner to be the Parrikar’s successor despite opposition from the BJP’s old guard in the state.
Parrikar was released from New Delhi’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences this week after a month in the hospital. He is now being treated by doctors at his Dona Paula home.
The senior Rane, who has been Goa CM six times, is unhappy with the state leadership over its alleged “indecisiveness”. He joined the Congress in the mid-’70s after resigning from the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP). The Congress suffered a setback on Tuesday when sitting legislators – former Goa Congress president Subhash Shirodkar and Dayanand Sopte – joined the BJP.
With their exit, the Congress tally has been reduced to 14 legislators in the 40-member assembly. The BJP, too, has 14 legislators and is supported by the MGP and the Goa Forward Party (GFP) with three legislators each.
Over the last few weeks, the Congress has been demanding that Goa governor Mridula Sinha invite it to form the government because it is the single largest and Tuesday’s desertion are a big blow to it.
A Congress functionary said on the condition of anonymity that three other legislators may also quit the party in the coming days and are in touch with the BJP leadership.
However, Goa Congress president Girish Chodankar said the party is planning to counter the desertions by showing that it is a losing strategy in the by-elections for the seats they vacate. “Our target is to defeat all those who leave the Congress whenever by-elections are held. We will go to the people’s court and tell the voters how they have betrayed the mandate,” he said.
Chodankar accused the BJP of using “muscle and money power” to poach the Congress legislators. “It has become the BJP’s national policy now. Wherever they (BJP) can’t win the elections directly, they poach the legislators,” he alleged. But some Congress leaders have blamed the party’s state and central leadership for their “failure to keep the flock together”.
Goa BJP president Vinay Tendulkar said on Thursday that legislators from the Congress were willing to join the ruling party or regional parties because of its ideology. “There are more leaders from Congress who want to join us. They can join the BJP if they find our ideology acceptable or they can go to GFP or MGP,” he said.