BJP in Goa using Church as per its power goals: Cong MLA

Congress MLA Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco on Tuesday accused the ruling BJP of "using the Church" as per its power goals, a day after many Catholic MLAs of the saffron party supported a motion in the Legislative Assembly hailing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for passage of the CAA.

Referring to the motion, which was passed after MLAs of Opposition Congress and the Goa Forward Party (GFP) staged a walk-out, Lourenco said the move reflected the "use and throw policy" of the saffron party.

"In the year 2012, the BJP used the Church to come to power. Yesterday, they were speaking against the Church," Lourenco told reporters in an obvious reference to the state assembly elections in 2012 when the Goa Church had supported the BJP led by Manohar Parrikar.

An anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protest was organised last month by the Goa Church's Council for Social Justice along with other bodies demanding a resolution against the CAA in the Legislative Assembly.

"Use and throw policy... They (the BJP) are making it clearer. That is why in Maharashtra their own allies don't trust them," the MLA said.

He was apparently referring to the break-up between the BJP and the Shiv Sena after the results of the Maharashtra assembly polls in last October.

The Sena later joined hands with the NCP and the Congress to form a government.

During the passage of the congratulatory motion, many Christian MLAs of the BJP, including Micheal Lobo, Mauvin Godinho, Isidore Fernandes, Glenn Ticlo, Nilesh Cabral and others, had spoken in favour of the CAA.