Panaji, Jan 23 (IANS): While people were celebrating the 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on Monday, the Congress in Goa posted a video with the words ‘Hey Ram’ of candidates taking oath of god that they will not switch party.

Former Chief Minister Digambar Kamat, (then) Leader of Opposition Michael Lobo, Delilah Lobo, Kedar Naik, Sankalp Amonkar, Rajesh Faldesai, Aleixo Sequeira and Rudolf Fernandes were the eight MLAs who had jumped ship from the Congress to the BJP on September 14, 2022.

The political development had decimated the Congress to mere 3 MLAs in the 40-member Goa Assembly.

Subsequently, the Congress leaders had alleged that the BJP 'bought' their MLAs to finish the opposition and to kill democracy.

In the last term of the government on July 10, 2019, 10 more MLAs of Congress along with Leader of Opposition Chandrakant Kavalekar had switched to the BJP. Kavalekar, along with six other defectors, however, had lost the Assembly elections in February 2022.

Congress leaders have refrained themselves from taking part in the 'Pran Pratishtha' celebrations and also from posting wishes in this regard. However, they have only posted the video of defectors, who, according to them, had betrayed even God by switching parties.

Former Chief Minister Digambar Kamat (now a BJP MLA) is seen in the video criticising the BJP for ‘poaching’ Congress MLAs.

“God told me, ‘you take the decision, I am with you’. Hence I decided to join the BJP,” Kamat had said after joining the saffron camp.