Goa health minister Vishwajit Rane, who was once a loyal Congressman before switching sides, issued a stern warning to his former party and its president Rahul Gandhi after two Goa Congress MLAs quit the party to join the BJP on Tuesday.
Goa health minister Vishwajit Rane, who was once a loyal Congressman before switching sides, issued a stern warning to his former party and its president Rahul Gandhi after two Goa Congress MLAs quit the party to join the BJP on Tuesday.
“I will demolish the Congress party. They will be reduced to 10 by Christmas-New Year. Save your flock. That is my message to Rahul Gandhi. Leaders in the Congress are tired of Rahul Gandhi,” Rane told news agency IANS.
On Tuesday, Congress legislators Subhash Shirdokar and Dayanand Sopte tendered their resignations to the governor. The duo, who represent north Goa, joined the BJP. Their resignation means that they will have to fight in by polls later.
While Shirodkar, a former Goa Congress president is a six-term MLA and represents Shiroda, Sopte earned a reputation of a giant killer by defeating then chief minister Laxmikant Parsekar from Mandrem in last year’s polls, in the first instance of an incumbent chief minister being trounced.
Speaking to DNA from New Delhi, where they will formally join the BJP in presence of party president Amit Shah, Shirodkar and Sopte attributed their decision to the cause for “development” in their constituencies.
“My main issue is the development of the state and constituency,” said Shirodkar, adding that he had resigned as a MLA and would seek re-election as a BJP nominee.
“I had to take the decision because of pressure from my constituents. They elected me as their MLA with a lot of expectations, but there are limitations on work that can be done as an opposition legislator,” said Sopte, who was earlier with the BJP.
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