Did God tell Digambar Kamat to jump ship from Congress to BJP?

Panaji: Digambar Kamat, the former chief minister of Goa, claimed that everything was accomplished with divine approval hours after bringing the Congress to its knees there. His comments were prompted by journalists reminding him of the loyalty oaths Congress candidates had taken at a church and a temple prior to the Goa Assembly elections earlier this year.

“I went to the temple again and asked God what to do. God told me to do whatever is best for you,” Kamat said, justifying his defection and the breach of pledge, reported news agency PTI. Digambar Kamat and seven other Congress legislators defected to the BJP, effectively putting an end to the grand old party in the state. There are now only three Congress legislators remaining in the 40-member assembly.

After submitting their nomination papers for the elections this year, Congress candidates took oaths at a temple and a church, swearing to remain loyal to the party if elected. This extra measure of safety was thought to have been initiated by the 2019 exodus, in which 10 of the 15 Goa Congress MLAs joined the BJP overnight, according to news agency PTI.

Eight of the 11 Goa state legislators from the Congress party—including former chief minister Digambar Kamat and opposition leader Michael Lobo—joined the BJP earlier in the day. In response to the defection, Lobo stated, “We have joined the BJP to strengthen the hands of PM Modi and CM Pramod Sawant.”

The Congress, which is occupied with its “Bharat Jodo Yatra,” criticised the development and called it a “shameful exercise of power and money” in an “Operation Keechad” jab.

(With inputs from PTI)

Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.