Goa Congress Protests Marking Defection Anniversary

The Goa Congress held protests across the state on the second anniversary of 10 of its MLAs defecting to the ruling BJP. Party leaders condemned the defections, calling them a betrayal of the people's mandate. The Congress vowed to continue fighting against what they termed the BJP's undemocratic actions.

The Goa Congress organized statewide protests on Saturday to observe the second anniversary of 10 of its MLAs switching allegiance to the ruling BJP.

During a protest in Margao, Goa Congress chief Amit Patkar labelled the September 14, 2022 defections as a betrayal of the electorate's mandate, declaring that the party had permanently shut its doors to the defectors.

Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao described defection as a political and social crime, accusing the BJP of promoting it to consolidate power. He also criticized Assembly Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar for delaying the decision on disqualification petitions against the defectors, alleging undue delay.

(With inputs from agencies.)