Herald: When the Supreme Court had dismissed your Special Leave Application in the Jr Engineer Assault case you had first ruled out the possibility of resigning from the Parsekar Cabinet. What made you re-think and quit the Ministry. There are reports that you have resigned upon directions from the Chief Minister.
Pacheco: I decided to quit because I did not want any embarrassment for Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar and the government. The BJP convention is underway in Bengalaru and the media and our opponents would have used my issue to embarrass the BJP leadership as well.
Though my review petition is pending before the Supreme Court, I decided to put in my papers because certain political elements, rejected by the people in politics, were out to make political capital from this issue. There were absolutely no directions from the Chief Minister to put in my papers.
Herald:This is the second time in the last one decade that you have had to quit the Ministry because of criminal cases pending against you. Comment.
Pacheco: Last time round, the then Chief Minister had forced me to quit his Cabinet on grounds that there was clinching evidence against me in the Nadia Torado case.
But there was no case at all against me and this is now evident by the fact that the investigating agency has now moved the court for closure of the case. Now, in the instant case, I have not been told by Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar to quit his cabinet. I have also received no diktat from the BJP leadership to resign. I have quit on my own volition so as not to cause any embarrassment for the government.
Herald:Don’t you think that your resignation has come as a big setback to your political career and the future of the Goa Vikas Party, especially since the Supreme court has not given you any relief till date and that all these developments have come when the GVP had fared badly in Nuvem and other areas in the Zilla Panchayat polls?
Pacheco: No, not at all. This is not at all a setback for me. In fact, I am greatly touched by the tremendous support extended to me by my people. They tried to finish Mickky last time round by putting me behind bars, but I had come out clean. For 16 days, I was lodged in jail, but my people and God was with me. I have full trust in God. I know that God will help me and that nothing will happen to me. As far as the GVP is concerned, I have big plans for the regional party not just in Salcete, but beyond South Goa.
Herald:The Apex Court order dismissing you petition meant that you will have to spend six months in jail. Had any thought come to your mind at any time during the last four days that you will have to indeed undergo imprisonment in jail?
Pacheco: I respect the judiciary. In the past, I had to fight the injustice done to me by the political system and I had come out clean. In the instant case, I am confident that the judiciary will give me a clean chit and I will come out clean. In my review petition, I have drawn the attention of the judiciary to certain aspects, such as the non-examination of eye witnesses cited by the complainant at the trial stage. Moreover, the police had never bothered to question or interrogate me nor had they conducted any panchanama after the incident.
The cops had conducted the panchanama months later. Moreover, I have also drawn the attention of the Apex Court to section 401 (3) of the CrPC to give me justice.
All these aspects I have brought to the notice of the Apex Court in my review petition.
Herald:When you submitted your resignation to the office of the Chief Minister, did you at any time insist that the ministerial berth be retained by the Goa Vikas Party?
Pacheco: No. The Chief Minister and the BJP leadership have told me that the ministerial berth is mine and I can assure you I will return to the ministry.
Herald: But, your Benaulim MLA Caetano Silva says that the ministry should be retained by the GVP and that he is not averse in shouldering the responsibility?
Pacheco: I have no comments to offer.
