- Wednesday, March 12, 2025
By: Shubham Ghosh
AFTER Maharashtra, it is Goa although it is prime minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which is in power in the coastal state which is known for its hot tourism destinations.
Girish Chodankar, a former chief of the state unit of the opposition Indian National Congress has alleged that the party’s lawmakers were offered a whopping Rs 40 crore to join the saffron party, India Today reported. The explosive claims came amid speculations that the state Congress was facing a mutiny with at least six members of the legislative party (MLAs), led by former chief minister Digambar Kamat, was likely to join the ruling party.
Chodankar said calls were being made to the Congress legislators of the 40-member strong state assembly by industrialists and the coal mafia, the India Today report added. Some of the MLAs confirmed this to Dinesh Gundu Rao, the Goa Congress’s in-charge, Chodankar told the publication.
Accusation was also raised against Michael Lobo, the leader of opposition in Goa assembly, and the Congress on Sunday (10) removed him over allegations that he was trying to engineer a defection in the grand-old party.
On Monday (11), both Kamat and Lobo said they were still with the Congress but were deeply hurt by the charges that were brought against them, the Hindustan Times reported.
The BJP rubbished the allegations with its state chief Sadanand Tanavade telling India Today that the Congress was “making baseless allegations about MLAs being approached and offered money”.
“This is what they have been doing all along, and there is no substance to these things. Goa BJP has nothing to do with the confusion in Congress and we haven’t heard anything from our party in this regard,” he was quoted as saying.
However, while the Congress too has been denying that there are rifts within its ranks, most of its MLAs were absent at a party meeting held on Sunday morning and a press conference in the evening, adding fuel to the speculation.
Earlier in the day, Lobo said, “These are all rumours. There’s nothing as such. The Assembly [session] is starting and one rumour has to be spread by somebody or the other. I’ve not been told. If I’m told, I’ll tell you first.”
Blaming the BJP, Goa Congress president Amit Patkar told India Today, “Eight of our 11 MLAs are new. There was a meeting today on floor management (in the House). Our senior MLAs had discussions with the new MLAs, and I am hopeful that, from Monday, you will see Congress raising public issues (in the House) against this government, which has failed.”
The speculation of Congress MLAs shifting base to the BJP started doing the rounds in May when BJP national general secretary and the party’s state in-charge CT Ravi said the ruling party, which currently has 20 MLAs, will have 10 more by the end of the year.
The BJP, with 20 MLAs, formed the government in the state earlier this year with the backing of five others.
