Panaji, Jun 7 (IANS): The Congress has warned that it will approach the court if Goa Legislative Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar fails to hear the disqualification petition pending before him.

“I hope Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar will take cognizance of my second reminder and quickly decide on the disqualification petition pending before him. Hope he will not compel me to approach the court to seek justice against his failure to protect democracy,” Congress state president Amit Patkar said on Friday.

Last month Ramesh Tawadkar had dismissed a disqualification petition filed by the Congress against former Chief Minister Digambar Kamat and MLA Michael Lobo. Subsequently the party had written to Tawadkar to decide on another petition (against eight MLAs) pending with him.

Now again on Friday, the Congress has written a second letter to Tawadkar reminding him about the disqualification petition against eight MLAs who defected from the Congress to the BJP on September 14, 2022, pending before him.

The Congress had filed the petition on December 6, 2022 against the eight MLAs who defected from the Congress to the BJP.

On July 11, 2022 the Congress had filed a disqualification petition against its then two leaders Digambar Kamat and Michael Lobo for anti-party activities. They later joined the BJP. This petition was dismissed by Tawadkar .

In July 2022, the Congress had removed Michael Lobo as Leader of Opposition alleging that he hatched a conspiracy, along with former Chief Minister Digambar Kamat, by hobnobbing with the BJP to split the Congress MLAs.

Later on September 14, 2022, former Chief Minister Digambar Kamat, Michael Lobo, Delilah Lobo, Kedar Naik, Sankalp Amonkar, Rajesh Faldesai, Aleixo Sequeira and Rudolf Fernandes merged the Congress party with the BJP, reducing the Congress to 3 MLA’s in 40-member House.

Two more individual petitions were filed by former AICC secretary Girish Chodankar and Dominic Noronha against these 8 MLAs. These petitions are also pending with the speaker.