‘BJP is killing democracy’: Goa Congress on defectors inducted into state cabinet

Alleging that the BJP government is out to kill democracy by inducting 'defectors' in the state cabinet, Goa Congress chief Amit Patkar on Wednesday sought the disqualification of MLA Aleixo Sequiera, who was sworn in as a minister in the BJP-led government on Sunday evening.

“Last year, we had filed a disqualification petition against Digambar Kamat and Michael Lobo in July, and against eight MLAs in November. Time and again, we are requesting to expedite the matter. But in the second disqualification matter, the speaker has not even issued notices.

"Hence we had approached the High Court and there was a direction by court to clear it within a time limit. But the speaker has not issued notice,” Patkar said, after submitting a memorandum to Goa legislative assembly speaker Ramesh Tawadkar.

"When there is a disqualification petition against eight MLAs, members from the same group are being inducted in the cabinet. What kind of justice is this?" Patkar questioned.

"We have now sought action from the speaker against Aleixo Sequiera. The speaker should write to the governor to disqualify him, because the matter is sub-judice," he said.

“If the decision is against us, then we will approach a higher court. But at least he should give his judgement. Without doing that, these defectors are being inducted in the cabinet," Patkar said.

He added that as speculated. a few more of the 'eight defectors' are going to get a cabinet berth.

"The BJP government is out to kill democracy. They don't believe in democracy and hence we have demanded to stop more inductions of defectors," he said.

On 14 September 2022, former Goa chief minister Digambar Kamat, Michael Lobo, Delilah Lobo, Kedar Naik, Sankalp Amonkar, Rajesh Faldesai, Aleixo Sequiera and Rudolf Fernandes switched to the BJP, reducing the Congress' strength to three MLAs in the 40-member Goa assembly.

The Congress had alleged that Digambar Kamat and Michael Lobo had hatched a conspiracy by hobnobbing with the BJP to split the Congress.

In July 2022, the Congress had filed a disqualification petition with the assembly speaker against Kamat and Lobo for anti-party activities.

Following the defection, two individual disqualification petitions against eight MLAs had been filed before Tawadkar on 11 November and 9 December.