Congress lawmakers as monkeys? Goa netas cross swords

Even as ruling Congress MLAs keep jumping ship in Karnataka’s ongoing political drama, Goa deputy Chief Minister Vijai Sardesai’s comment describing Congress lawmakers in Goa as “monkeys” has caught popular imagination here.

A day after Sardesai’s description, comparing Congress MLAs as primates, on account of their propensity to switch parties, Leader of Opposition in the Goa legislative assembly Chandrakant Kavlekar joined in the debate on Tuesday.

Kavlekar added his two bits worth to the controversy, saying man had evolved from primates in the olden days, but if someone is referring a human being to a monkey today, then the person who makes such a comment is a monkey himself

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“We had heard that our ancestors were once monkeys. But those were primitive days and man evolved from being a monkey after thousands of years of evolution,” Kavlekar told reporters on Tuesday at the state legislative assembly complex.

“You should ask the deputy Chief Minister how have monkeys became humans again. How can you call MLAs monkeys, it is wrong. If MLAs are monkeys then the one who says this is also a monkey,” the leader of opposition said.

Since the results to the 2017 state assembly elections results were declared, three Congress MLAs have joined the BJP. Over the last couple of months, top Congress leaders have confessed off record, that some party MLAs were in touch with the BJP state leadership, over possible switchover to the ruling party.
In this context, Sardesai on Monday had said: "There are so many monkeys in the Congress party who are ready to jump. We have read about it in the media. But we will not provide them with any space in our fold. Let them stay where they are”.