Goa: Congress writes to Speaker to decide on disqualification petitions

Panaji: Days after Goa Legislative Assembly Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar dismissed a disqualification petition filed by Congress against former Chief Minister Digambar Kamat and MLA Michael Lobo, the party, on Monday, wrote to the Speaker to decide on other petitions pending before him.

Goa Pradesh Congress Committee President Amit Patkar, on Monday, wrote to Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar urging him to decide on the pending disqualification petitions against eight MLAs who defected from Congress to BJP on September 14, 2022.

“I draw your attention to the pending disqualification petition filed on December 6, 2022, against eight MLAs who defected from Congress to BJP, and request you to decide on the same in a time-bound manner,” Amit stated in his letter.

“I will explore all legal remedies if the Speaker continues to delay deciding on the petitions pending before him,” Amit Patkar said.

On July 11, 2022, Congress had filed disqualification against its then two leaders Digambar Kamat and Michael Lobo for anti-party activities, who later joined BJP. This petition was dismissed by Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar last week.

In July 2022, Congress had removed Michael Lobo as the Leader of Opposition, alleging that he was the one who hatched the conspiracy, along with former Chief Minister Digambar Kamat, by hobnobbing BJP to split Congress MLAs.

Later, on September 14, 2022, former Chief Minister Digambar Kamat, Michael Lobo, Delilah Lobo, Kedar Naik, Sankalp Amonkar, Rajesh Faldesai, Aleixo Sequeira and Rudolf Fernandes merged Congress into BJP, reducing Congress to three MLA’s in 40-member Assembly House.

Subsequently, Congress had filed a disqualification petition before Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar against all eight MLAs, who had switched to the BJP on September 14.

Two more individual petitions were filed by former AICC Secretary Girish Chodankar and Dominic Noronha against these eight MLAs.

Congress leaders, on many occasions, have alleged that Ramesh Tawadkar is delaying the hearings of these petitions.