Amid mutiny in Goa Congress, its former state chief has claimed that MLAs are being offered Rs 40 crore to join the BJP.
File photo of former Goa Congress president Girish Chodankar.
Former Goa Congress chief Girish Chodankar has alleged that party MLAs got a Rs 40 crore offer to join the BJP.
This comes amid reports of mutiny, with at least six MLAs under the leadership of senior leader Digambar Kamat likely to join the BJP soon.
According to Chodankar, phone calls are being made to Congress legislators by industrialists and the coal mafia.
He further stated that some MLAs revealed this information to Goa in-charge Dinesh Gundu Rao.
On the other hand, party leader Michael Lobo refuted the rumours of a few party leaders joining the BJP. He said that these ‘rumours have been spread deliberately ahead of the Assembly session.
“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,” he said.
Meanwhile, Goa Congress president Amit Patkar blamed the BJP for creating rumours and confusion among people.
“Eight of our 11 MLAs are new. There was a meeting today on floor management (in the house). Our senior MLAs have 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 BJP-led government only creates rumours and confusion among people,” he said.
The speculations about some Congress MLAs joining the BJP have been doing the rounds ever since the BJP national general secretary and the party’s state in-charge, C T Ravi, in May, said that the BJP, which currently has 20 MLAs, will have 30 MLAs by the end of the year. The BJP, with 20 MLAs, formed the government in the state with the support of five others.
READ | Mutiny in Goa Congress: At least 6 MLAs likely to join BJP
— ENDS —