Fadnavis suggests ex-Goa CM Rane will leave Congress

Panaji, Dec 7 : Former Maharashtra Chief Minister and BJPs Goa desk in-charge Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday hinted at breaking away of one more Congress MLA, former Chief Minister Pratapsingh Rane, on a day when another former Congress Chief Minister Ravi Naik formally joined Goas ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Speaking at Naiks induction ceremony here, Fadnavis said that with Naiks exit, the Congress has been reduced to a three-wheeled auto, referring to the opposition partys paltry legislative strength of three MLAs and added that with the possible entry of Pratapsingh Rane into the BJP, the Congress would be reduced to a two-wheeled cycle.

"First the Congress was reduced to a Nano (small car).Once we get Pratapsingh Ranes blessings, it will be reduced to a cycle," Fadnavis said at the induction ceremony, referring to the series of desertions by sitting MLAs of the party.

Rane, the most veteran Congress leader in the state, has been a chief minister for a better part of two decades and has been a member of the state assembly for 50 years without a break.Ranes son, Vishwajit, is currently the Health Minister in the BJP-led coalition government.

He resigned as Congress MLA in 2017 to join the BJP.The Congress which had a legislative strength of 17 MLAs after the 2017 polls has now been reduced to three MLAs after Ravi Naiks exit on Tuesday.Fadnavis blamed the top Congress leadership for the shambles, which he said the party had been reduced to."The reason why the Congress is like this is because the Congress has not been able to decide who will be its president for more than two years," Fadnavis said."For seven years, the party has not been able to appoint a Leader of Opposition, because they could not get enough MPs elected," he also said.

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