Goa: GPCC may withdraw disqualification notices against Michael Lobo, Digambar Kamat; Lobo likely to continue as LoP for now

NEW DELHI: There is high probability that the Goa unit of the Congress – the Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) may withdraw its disqualification notices against its MLAs – Michael Lobo (Calangute) and Digambar Kamat (Margao) and that Lobo may continue as the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the State at least for the time being.

It is also possible that Digambar Kamat may be given the post after about four to six months, as Lobo is under fire from the BJP government in the State and in particular the Town & Country Planning (TCP) Minister Vishwajit Rane.

All depends on what happens to the charges against Lobo regarding the ODPs of the Candolim, Calangute, Parra and Arpora belt and its possible effect on the Congress.

According to sources in Delhi, the Congress high command is keen on taking a lenient view of the matter and wants to give its MLAs a long rope. Penalizing Kamat and Lobo at this stage, even if their anti-party activities can be proved beyond doubt, would mean writing them off as Congress functionaries in the long term, said a senior Congress leader.

Further, both of them have spent huge amounts of money from their own pockets for the recent State Assembly polls, with Lobo bearing a substantial percentage of the election expenses of himself, his wife (Siolim), the Mapusa Congress candidate as well as the Saligao candidate (Kedar Naik) who switched sides along with him in January this year.

Similarly, Kamat has also spent his own money for party events over the last 3-4 years and the high command wants to “forgive” him this one time, sources said.

Unless Lobo and Kamat jump ship or resign in the coming weeks, they are most likely to be pardoned by the Congress leadership in Delhi and everything could possibly be back to normal (at least on the face of it) in the Goa Congress unit.

On Monday, GPCC President Amit Patkar filed disqualification petitions with the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly against Michael Lobo and Digambar Kamat for what it termed as anti-party activities.

At that time, Patkar told media persons that disqualification petitions were filed on behalf of the GPCC against Lobo and Kamat. He also stated that the Speaker was informed about the Congress Legislature Party’s decision to remove Lobo as the leader of opposition.

Speaking to media persons on Monday, Lobo claimed he himself wanted out and requested the party to relive him of the post of the Legislature Party leader.

Last weekend, the Goa Congress was on the verge of a split, 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 and even attended meetings with senior Congress leader Mukul Wasnik who flew in from Delhi on Monday.

On Monday, Patkar claimed disqualification petitions were filed against both the MLAs as “they had voluntarily given up membership of the party.”