The new Public Administration Minister in the Trinidad and Tobago cabinet took a swipe at her cabinet colleague who criticised her performance in her previous position as the energy minister.
Roberts is one of four candidates in the election. The incumbent leader, Winston Dookeran, is not running. The others are Legal Affairs Minister Prakash Ramadhar, COP Vice Chairman Vernon De Lima and floor member Nalini Dial.
Polls suggest that the race is between the two cabinet members - Roberts, who holds the sports portfolio, and Ramadhar.
Seepersad-Bachan, who is a founding member of the COP, urged party members to vote for any of the other candidates.
"I hope COP members don't put God out of their thoughts and vote for Mr Anil Roberts as the political leader," she said in an interview with the Express newspaper.
"I heard Mr Roberts say on the radio that he sanctioned my move from the Ministry of Energy. Who is Mr Roberts to sanction anything?" she asked.
"You are making up lies. The Prime Minister never said that to me, she said she needed someone who was bright and strong to take on the challenge to transform the public service and that was why I was moved," she said.
Seepersad-Bachan said Roberts also defended her decision to keep former PNM advisers on her payroll.
"You are making up lies. The Prime Minister never said that to me, she said she needed someone who was bright and strong to take on the challenge to transform the public service and that was why I was moved," she said.
Seepersad-Bachan said Roberts also defended her decision to keep former PNM advisers on her payroll.
"Let me tell Mr Roberts once more and let me tell everybody—that is not the politics that I subscribe to. I am not firing anybody because you're a PNM, United National Congress or COP. You are there to do a job and if you are competent and you are delivering, then so be it. We campaigned against that type of behaviour," she said.
"If Mr Roberts wants to practise that, let him keep that, that is the old politics," she added.
"If Mr Roberts wants to practise that, let him keep that, that is the old politics," she added.
Seepersad-Bachan also seemed to have a problem with the loyalty of Roberts to the COP, noting that he attended a PP political rally wearing a UNC shirt.
The party's election rules forbid candidates from attacking colleagues. The penalty for breach of those rules could be disqualification.
The party's election rules forbid candidates from attacking colleagues. The penalty for breach of those rules could be disqualification.
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