Get Ramdev to 'purify' Cong MLAs who joined BJP, Lourenco

Senior Goa Congress leader Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco Monday hit out at Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar for inducting some MLAs in the BJP whom he had earlier called "corrupt".

Lourenco, in a sarcastic vein, said that Parrikar should get Yoga guru Ramdev to "purify" these MLAs and leaders.

Dayanand Sopte and Subhash Shirodkar, Congress MLAs from Mandrem and Shiroda respectively, had resigned from the opposition party as well as the state Assembly and joined the BJP last week.

Lourenco claimed that Parrikar, as Leader of Opposition in the Goa Assembly, had once written to the President of India alleging that Sopte and Vishwajit Rane, a former Congress MLA who is currently state health minister, were involved in the illegal mining scam.

"Parrikar has inducted the same Congress leaders in his party whom he had tagged as corrupt politicians when he was in the opposition. Parrikar should call Baba Ramdev to purify all such (former) Congress leaders," Lourenco said.