Goa CM makes big claim after Congress decimation; 'Vijai Sardesai also wanted to join BJP'

In a big claim, Goa CM Pramod Sawant asserted on Wednesday that Goa Forward Party chief Vijai Sardesai wanted to join BJP just like the Congress MLAs. One of the Deputy CMs in the erstwhile Pramod Sawant-led government, he had a bitter parting of ways with BJP in July 2109 after being sacked from the Cabinet. While the GPF contested as an ally of Congress in the Assembly polls held earlier this year, the party won only one seat with Sardesai retaining the Fatorda seat. After Sardesai accused BJP of poaching 2/3rd of the Congress Legislature Party, Sawant claimed that he was upset after being denied entry into the party.

Goa CM Pramod Sawant, "I think he (Vijai Sardesai) is making allegations as he was not allowed to join (BJP). Definitely, he also wanted to join us. But the party didn't give him the green signal."
 

'An act of pure evil'

In a statement issued earlier, the Goa Forward Party chief dubbed the decision of 8 Congress MLAs to jump ship to BJP an "act of pure evil". He contended that the legislators cast aside all political propriety, basic decency and honesty to pursue their greed for wealth and hunger for power. Alleging that the JP Nadda-led party is in power because of deceit and manipulation, Vijai Sardesai alleged that it had reduced Goa to 'ridicule' by treating people’s representatives as commodities to be bought for a price. 

Vijai Sardesai opined, "The people of Goa are backstabbed and their faith destroyed first by oaths and then this betrayal, and they will note that this act of perfidy comes on the Hindu auspicious period of Pitru Paksa, when these MLAs chose to repay their debts to their ancestors in this devious and false-hearted manner. We often see political defections as betrayal of the people’s mandate; but it’s much more than that. It’s a betrayal of the people, subversion of the political and democratic process, the repudiation of their own parentage, and the denigration and mockery of God."

Political churn in Goa

On Wednesday, Goa CM Digambar Kamat, ex-Leader of Opposition Michael Lobo, his wife Delilah Lobo, Kedar Naik, Rajesh Phaldesai, Aleixo Sequeira, Sankalp Amonkar and Rodolfo Fernandes dumped Congress and switched allegiance to BJP. Most importantly, the anti-defection won't apply as they constitute 2/3rd of the Congress Legislature Party. Lobo told the reporters, " From Goa, we have started 'Congress Chhodo' and 'Bharatiya Janata Party ko Jodo'. We will take forward the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi". 

It is worth recalling that 15 out of 17 MLAs who were elected on a Congress ticket in the 2017 election had also joined other parties. In a desperate bid to avoid such a scenario, the party compelled all its election candidates to take an anti-defection pledge at a mosque, church and temple. With the latest spate of defections, BJP's tally in the Goa Assembly jumped to 28 whereas Congress has been reduced to a mere three seats.