Goa Congress manages to avert split for now, 10 MLAs attend party meet

Ten out of the total 11 Congress MLAs in Goa attended a meeting chaired by senior leader Mukul Wasnik here as the party managed to avert a split in its fold for the time beingExcept former chief minister Digambar Kamat all the other Congress MLAs including Michael Lobo were on Monday night present in the meeting which went on for over two hours at the state party headquartersCongress Goa desk incharge Dinesh Gundu Rao and state party president Amit Patkar were also present during the meetingWasnik claimed some people with bad intentions were trying to create a rift in the Goa Congress but the legislators scuttled it by showing they are unitedHe said during the meeting discussions were held with the MLAs on how to work aggressively in the House and strengthen the party in the coastal stateOn Sunday five Congress MLAs including Kamat and Lobo went incommunicado They however attended the Goa Assembly proceedings on the first day of its monsoon session on Monday and claimed there was nothing wrong and that they were with the partyThe Congress had accused Lobo and Kamat of conspiring and hobnobbing with the ruling BJP to engineer a split in the grand old partys legislative wingThe party also removed Lobo from the post of leader of opposition in the 40member AssemblyAfter some of the Congress Legislature Party members did not attend a press conference called by Rao on Sunday Patkar filed a disqualification petition against Kamat and Lobo before Assembly Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar on MondayAsked if the disqualification petition would be withdrawn Wasnik said You dont ask all questions now let us keep something for laterAfter the meeting on Monday night Lobo told reporters that he was with the Congress and there was a misunderstanding by the party as he could not attend the press conference called on SundayAll the Congress MLAs are with the party I had told them that I didnt want to continue as the leader of opposition because I would not be able to do justice to the post he saidSenior leaders like Digambar Kamat or Sankalp Amonkar can be elected as the LoP in the Assembly he addedThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever