Goa: Congress averts split for now as MLA Michael Lobo meets Mukul Wasnik

The future of Lobo and Kamat in the party seems to be hanging in the balance as the Congress party filed a petition before the Assembly Speaker seeking their disqualification.

Lobo, his wife Delilah Lobo, and MLAs Kedar Naik and Rajesh Faldessai, who skipped the press conference called on Sunday, met Wasnik, Rao and Goa Congress president Amit Patkar.

Rao laughed when asked if Lobo was still a “traitor”. “Congress is a large-hearted party but certain things still have to be resolved. I can’t say everything. Whatever we have done, we have done,” he told The Indian Express.

While Kamat stayed away from the meeting of the legislature party, Lobo, who left the Congress House at nearly 11pm on Monday, said that the party had no ground to seek his disqualification but it would be the Speaker’s decision ultimately. “Not attending a press conference cannot be the grounds for disqualification. I told them that they are making a mockery of their own party,” said Lobo.

“I have told him we have been elected from the Congress and our term is of five years. I have made my stand very clear. We are not going anywhere. No matter who the leader is or who is trying to engineer defections, we are strongly with the party,” Lobo said.

The storm may have blown over but the fissures in the Goa Congress were apparent on Monday. Lobo also conceded that there cannot be smoke without a fire. “There was smoke. I will not deny that but whoever was engineering it was engineering it for everyone. They were told that Michael has to be kept out,” he said.

“We held a meeting with our members of the legislature party today. It was a very good discussion. The Assembly session is on…we discussed how the Congress can play an active role in the House,” Wasnik said after the meeting, skirting questions about the party’s move to seek Lobo’s disqualification.

Lobo and Kamat both attended the first of the Monsoon Session of the Assembly on Monday and took their places in the Opposition benches.

Kamat said earlier on Monday: “I was very hurt by the statement of Dinesh Gundu Rao. I met Rao at my residence on Saturday night.” Kamat said he had also informed Rao that his supporters were demoralised after he was removed as Leader of Opposition (LoP), a post taken over by Lobo in the incumbent Assembly. Kamat was the LoP in the previous assembly.