NEW DELHI: Despite getting a whiff of trouble building up in Goa, the Congress failed to take any pre-emptive action to keep its flock together as 10 of 15 party MLAs opted to join the ruling BJP in the coastal state, Wednesday.
A Chella Kumar, AICC in charge of Goa and MP from Krishnagiri in Tamil Nadu, said that he spoke to the leader of the Congress party in Goa legislative assembly Chandrakant Kavlekar two days back following reports of party MLAs preparing to cross over to the BJP.
“I spoke to him the day before yesterday but he denied it. He called it a rumour. I am on my way to Goa and will talk to party leaders on the future course of action,” Chella Kumar said.
Interestingly, 10 of the 15 MLAs expected to join the BJP also include Kavlekar, the leader of the opposition in the Goa assembly.
The party may not be able to legally stall the split as the rebels constitute two-thirds of its strength in the Goa Assembly and would not invite provisions of the anti-defection law.
Kumar accused the BJP of using muscle and money power in every state to poach Congress MLAs and resorting to undemocratic means to break the party. The situation in Goa has further added to the growing woes of Congress across many states.
It is already battling the BJP in Karnataka to save the Congress-JD(S) coalition government after party MLAs submitted their resignations to the Speaker. Earlier, Congress legislature party leader in Maharashtra Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil quit the party and joined the BJP. In Gujarat, many Congress MLAs have already joined the BJP.