Panaji, Oct 17 (TOI): The Congress blamed the BJP for using its Centre’s money power again to lure two of its MLAs to the saffron side. Congress Legislative Party (CLP) leader Chandrakant Kavlekar told reporters on Tuesday evening that even in the last election the party used its money power to made a backdoor entry when the people hadn’t even given them the mandate.

The 14 MLAs are united, he said, adding that the party had approached the governor four times requesting her to prove its majority but was never given the opportunity.

Blaming the BJP for the “murder of democracy” and “insulting the people and democratic institutions”, Navelim MLA and Congress leader Luizinho Faleiro said it was a matter of shame for the party to trample on the mandate of the people. “Who is going to be in power and who is not going to be in power is not decided by the office of the governor. It is decided by the people,” he said.

Senior party leader Pratapsingh Rane said in the 21st century when we are a mature democracy, the BJP should not indulge in “this kind of cannibalism”.

“We will go to any extent to fight for those seats and go back to the people who gave us the mandate and win the seat again,” Curtorim MLA Reginaldo Lourenco said.

Party president Girish Chodankar also chimed in saying the BJP is using money power or terror to lure its MLAs, adding that Congress MLAs have stated in the past that their families are being threatened. Poaching two MLAs only goes to prove what the Congress has been saying all along— BJP is trying to manufacture a majority, he said.

Ponda MLA Ravi Naik said that it doesn’t have to poach BJP MLAs but added that it is in touch with some of their members. On two more Congress MLAs joining the BJP, Naik said it was “false”.