PANJIM, SEPT 12
Promising to keep the alleged Canacona flood relief fraud always under the scanner till the truth of the missing money was known, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) maintained it will go on to file a police complaint if enough proof was found to establish the scam.
State NCP President Jose Philip D’Souza, who addressed a press conference on Sunday said the alleged fraud into the relief money had been fully exposed by his party’s spokesperson Trajano D’Mello. This is a serious issue and we are not taking it lightly, he asserted.
Jose Philip observed, “In this regard, the statement made by Vice President of Goa Pradesh Congress Committee M K Shaikh saying no relief money collected by the Youth Congress had been deposited with GPCC vindicates our stand.”
On a question whether NCP would file a police complaint if it found proof, Spokesperson Trajano D’Mello replied, “Hundred per cent; there is no doubt about it. I congratulate M K Shaikh for coming clean into the matter by saying there was no relief money deposited with the GPCC.”
Jose Philip said with Shaikh’s public statement the fraud had been exposed. “Where is the money? Where is the accountability? I do not find any reason why Sankalp shouldn’t be sacked immediately by his party.”
The NCP President said, “I’ve spoken to the high commands of both parties regarding the alleged relief fraud and about the unnecessary outburst of GPYC President against my party and me after the Mapusa convention.”
The NCP president said, “I have personally appeared before the press because I feel Sankalp was trying to destabilise the Cong-NCP alliance by making baseless statements. There is someone behind his statements. He may be president of GPYC, but some of his family people are in different parties like the BJP and MGP.”
Jose Philip said he would once gain like to clarify NCP wanted to strengthen its base in all 40 constituencies. This doesn’t mean we want to fight elections in all 40 constituencies as was being misinterpreted, he cleared.
He mentioned the Congress party should’ve pulled up Sankalp for his unnecessary outburst against the NCP because both the parties were in a pre-poll alliance shaped by their respective high commands. The Chief Minister should’ve taken serious note of the statements, he added.
On other questions affecting the NCP, the party president was not very forthcoming more so with the recent statement of Mickky Pacheco wherein the flamboyant MLA mentioned he could do without a party. Jose Philip said it was Mickky’s decision. “Leaving the party is upto him. I will talk to my high command about the matter,” he said.
On the question of going to the CM with the much-promised memorandum to press for a CBI inquiry, Jose Philip stated the issue was under the scanner of NCP and it would go to Kamat at the right time. One must understand we are in an alliance, he added.
Over the question whether NCP would contest the Valpoi bye-polls, the NCP president again pushed the ball in the court of his high command.
