Former Goa CM Digambar Kamat removed from CWC

Congress on Sunday dismissed former Goa chief minister Digambar Kamat from the post of permanent invitee to the Congress Working Committee (CWC), a week after he was accused of conspiring to split the legislative party on July 10.

The decision to drop Kamat from the CWC post was endorsed by All India Congress Committee general secretary KC Venugopal.

Kamat, along with now former Leader of Opposition Michael Lobo, were accused of conspiring to split the 11-member Congress legislative party in Goa, at the behest of the BJP.

While both Congress MLAs have denied the accusations against them by state Congress president Amit Patkar and AICC in-charge of Goa Dinesh Gundu Rao, the party has already filed a petition before Speaker of the state legislative assembly Ramesh Tawdkar seeking disqualification of the duo for alleged "anti-party activities".

Kamat and Lobo have claimed that they continue to be Congress MLAs.

On July 10, Congress was on the verge of splitting after several party MLAs went missing, a day ahead of the ongoing monsoon session of the state assembly. The party was able to rein back some of the MLAs by evening. For a two-thirds split in the Congress legislative party ranks 8 MLAs needed to split from the existing contingent of 11 legislators.

Lobo was also stripped of the post of Leader of Opposition in wake of the development.

On Saturday, Congress packed five of its first-time MLAs to Chennai. The legislators are expected to be back in Goa ahead of the election for the President of India on Monday.