BJP trying to poach Cong MLAs by using money power: Chodankar

On a day two of its MLAs in Goa resigned as members of the Legislative Assembly and are set to join the BJP, the opposition Congress has accused the ruling party of "poaching" the legislators by using "money power and threats".

Goa Pradesh Congress Committee President Girish Chodankar also said the BJP has engineered a split in the Congress in a bid to "manufacture" majority in the House.

The Congress had last month demanded a floor test while claiming that the BJP-led alliance government is in disarray in view of the ill health of chief minister Manohar Parrikar.

In a setback to the Congress Tuesday, two of its MLAs--Dayanand Sopte and Subhash Shirodkar---resigned as the members of the House and also from primary membership of the party. Both of them are set to join the BJP.

The development has brought down the strength of the Congress from 16 to 14 and that of the House to 38 from 40. The Congress now ceases to be the largest opposition party in the coastal state.

"The BJP has engineered split by taking away two MLAs of the Congress in a bid to manufacture majority on the floor of the House, which indicates that the ruling party lacks majority," alleged Chodankar.

He said rest 14 MLAs of the Congress would remain together and there is "no possibility of any further split in the party".

"The BJP is trying to break the Congress and poach MLAs either by using money power or terrorising them. Some MLAs had said in the past that they and their family members had been threatened," he said.

Chodankar said the BJP government got "disturbed" because the Congress had opposed "corruption" in the party-led alliance government.