Goa: Congress moves to disqualify its own MLAs Michael Lobo and Digambar Kamat

PANAJI: The Goa unit of the Indian National Congress – the Goa Pradesh Congress Committee today filed disqualification petitions with the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly Ramesh Tawadkar against two of its own MLAs – Michael Lobo and Digambar Kamat for what it termed as anti-party activities.

Goa Pradesh Congress Committee President Amit Patkar told media persons that disqualification petitions have been filed by him on behalf of the GPCC against Lobo and Kamat. He said that Speaker has been informed about the Congress Legislature Party’s decision to remove Lobo as leader of opposition.

However, Lobo said he himself wanted out and requested the party to relive him of the post of the Legislature Party leader.

The Goa Congress unit was on the verge of a split over the weekend, after five of its MLAs remained incommunicado during Sunday evening. But they later they surfaced on Monday to attend the first day of Assembly session.

Patkar said that the disqualification petitions are filed against both the MLAs as “they have voluntarily given up membership of the party.” “There is a Supreme Court judgment that any anti-party activity amounts to giving up of the membership of the party,” he told reporters in the Assembly complex.