Panaji, Jul 12 (IANS): The Congress on Monday, the first day of Goa Assembly Session, filed a petition with the Speaker seeking disqualification of former Chief Minister Digambar Kamat and former Leader of Opposition Michael Lobo for anti-party activities.

The Congress has removed Lobo as Leader of Opposition, alleging he is one who hatched a conspiracy with Kamat to split the Congress MLAs.

Addressing reporters, state Congress chief Amit Patkar said that the BJP is trying to finish up the opposition, and there is a need to save democracy.

"There was a move to split Congress MLAs. They couldn't attain the number of two-third majority. That is why their stand is changed today. BJP wanted to repeat the 'Maharashtra pattern' (Eknath Shinde rebellion). But we made it sure that they don't get success and we stopped the defections," he said.

Patkar said that the Supreme Court judgment holds that anti-party activities amount to voluntarily giving up of party membership. "We have evidence against them to prove that both were involved in anti-party activities and were trying to split MLAs," he said.

Lobo and Kamat were both present for the Assembly session and have said that they are with Congress.

"I have not done any anti-party activity. I have attended all meetings of CLP, whenever I was called," Kamat said.

Congress Goa in charge Dinesh Gundu Rao on Sunday had said that they will not get weakened by the acts of Lobo and Kamat. "We will take this issue in a more aggressive manner. We will take it to the people and show how betrayal was done for the sake of power and personal gain," he had said.

Meanwhile, Patkar, along with Deputy CLP Leader Sankalp Amonkar, Working President and MLA Yuri Alemao, MLAs Altone D'Costa, Carlos Alvares Ferreira, Rajesh Faldessai, and Rudolf Fernandes called on the Speaker and urged him to change seating arrangements in the House in accordance with the CLP resolution removing Lobo as CLP leader.