Congress EXODUS…
March 16, 2017 – Vishwajit Rane resign as MLA, join BJP
October 16, 2018 – Dayanand Sopte, Subash Shirodkar resign, join BJP
July 10, 2019 – 10 Congress MLA resign to join BJP
Sept 27, 2021 – Luizinho Faleiro resigns, may join TMC
Goemkarponn desk
PANAJI: The nightmare which started for Congress on March 12 2017, doesn’t seem to be ending anytime soon with leaders, one after another, exiting the party, leaving Congress from 17 MLAs on March 11, 2017, to just 4 on September 27, 2021.
This is the sad tale of the Congress camp, and the All India Congress Committee seems to have done nothing except raise their hands in despair.
It all started on March 12, 2017, after the BJP got just 13 seats. Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent his emissary Nitin Gadkari, who persuaded the regional parties and independents to support the BJP government. While the BJP already staked a claim for forming the government, Congress, on the other hand, was struggling to appoint its CLP leader or the Chief Minister. that was teh Congress’ first loss that despite having a majority, they could not form the government.
The second jolt came on March 16, 2017, when the Congress’ Valpoi MLA Vishwajit Rane resigned as MLA. He submitted his resignation on the first day of the House after taking the oath. He after that contested on a BJP ticket and won.
About a year later, in 2018, two more Congress MLAs, Dayanand Sopte, Subash Shirodkar, resigned as MLAs and recontested successfully on BJP tickets.
The biggest shock for the Congress came on July 10, 2019 – 10 Congress MLA resigned to join BJP.
The MLAs who joined are Chandrakant Kavlekar, Atanasio Monserrate, Jennifer Monserrate, Filipe Neri Rodrigues, Nilkanth Halarnkar, Francisco Silveira, Clafasio Dias, Isidore Fernandes, Wilfred D’Sa, Tony Fernandes.
They said they had split the Congress and merged into BJP. The anti-defection law makes it mandatory that two-thirds of the strength of a party should agree to a ‘merger’. The amendment, which came into force in January 2004, does not recognise a ‘split’ in a legislature party and instead recognises a ‘merger’.
However, while the 2019 split was a bigger shock, the unfolding of events since yesterday can be called massive.
Faleiro has been one of the most prominent Congress leaders, close to Gandhis, has served Goa twice as a chief minister, twice as AICC general secretary, and four times as president of Goa Pradesh Congress Committee.
Reacting to the development, Goa Pradesh Congress Committee President Girish Chodankar said that it was Luizinho’s personal decision, and everybody knows why he has taken such a decision.
“We told you it looks more of a retirement plan. The Trinamool Congress is not here to defeat teh BJP but cut into Congress votes to pave the way for BJP’s win,” he said.
He said the party is getting good support everywhere, and workers are undeterred by leaving such leaders who work with the “I, me, myself” principle.
“The Congress workers are happy that the selfish leaders are leaving one by one,” he said.