TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: All India Congress Committee (AICC) Secretary A Chella Kumar has alleged that First Information Report against two of its former chief ministers in connection with the mining scam is ‘politically motivated’ even as he refused to give them a clean chit.
“The present government is in a damage control mode for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The FIR is a politically motivated move by this coalition,” he said soon after his arrival in the State to meet state Congress leaders Tuesday.
Former chief ministers Pratapsing Rane and Digambar Kamat, who was also holding the mines portfolio during the Congress regime, are among eight others including two NCP leaders booked by the anti-corruption branch in the Rs 35,000-crore mining scam.
The FIR registered under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, Prevention of Corruption Act, and Mines and Minerals Act 1957 against them has been forwarded to the SIT which was formed to investigate into a separate complaint in the same mining case filed by Mines Director Prasanna Acharya, this July.
“BJP fears defeat. They are doing this to divert the attention of the people to show that the Congress leaders are tainted,” was Chella Kumar’s prompt reply to a media question.
He, however, refused to give a clean chit to both the former Congress chief ministers saying, “How can I give a clean chit to them? I need to sit with them and discuss the issue.”
When pointed out that the FIR is based on a criminal complaint by Congress spokesman Sudip Tamhankar, Chella Kumar clarified that the former was not in the party when he filed the complaint with the ACB.
The AICC secretary argued that Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar who raised the entire issue about illegal mining, had himself retracted on his statement when he claimed on the floor of the House that there is no illegal mining in the State.
