Congress removes ex-Goa CM Digambar Kamat as permanent invitee to CWC

Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Sunday cracked the whip and removed former Goa chief minister Digambar Kamat as permanent invitee to the all-powerful Congress Working Committee with immediate effect.

The action comes days after Kamat's alleged role in the recent turmoil in Goa Congress where the party has averted a split in the unit.

Sources said Kamat was accused of having played an active role with the BJP in the turmoil, after some of the Congress legislators went incommunicado and did not attend the party meetings.

The Congress leadership earlier removed Michael Lobo as Congress Legislature Party leader in Goa assembly.

''Congress president has removed Shri Digambar Kamat from his current position as permanent invitee to Congress Working Committee with immediate effect,'' a communication from the party said.

The party's local unit accused Lobo and Kamat of ''conspiring'' and ''hobnobbing'' with the ruling BJP to ''engineer a split'' in the grand old party's legislative wing.