Congress should challenge split under anti-defection law: MLA

Goa Congress leader Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco said Thursday that the party should challenge the defection of ten of its MLAs to the BJP, seeking their disqualification.

Ten out of 15 -- or two-thirds of -- Congress MLAs in Goa merged their group with the BJP Wednesday.

Lourenco, a senior Congress MLA, claimed that the development will attract provisions of the anti-defection law.

Lourenco met A Chellakumar, the Congress' in-charge for Goa, here Thursday.

"I have told them (party leaders) that we have to challenge this action. The anti-defection law bans such kind of a split in a national party; it can happen in a local (regional) party," he said.

Lourenco, who is amongst five legislators who did not cross over to the BJP, also said that if the defecting MLAs wanted to split the legislature wing of the party, they should have taken the Goa Pradesh Congress Committee in confidence.

"I have told party leaders that we cannot take this lying down," he added.

The split in the Congress came ahead of the monsoon session of Goa Assembly which will start from July 15.

Leader of Opposition Chandrakant Kavlekar headed the group which joined the BJP.

Lourenco also said that despite its reduced numbers, the Congress "will continue to be tough opposition on the floor of the House".