Team Herald
MARGAO: The Congress Party has condemned the disqualification of Netravali Sarpanch Abhijit Desai and Deputy Sarpanch Rajani Gaonkar.
Addressing a press conference here, Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) President Grirsh Chodankar alleged that Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar was taking revenge on the Panchayat for inspecting an ecotourism project belonging to his son Abhijat Parrikar.
“In 2018, someone working at the project site contracted Malaria. No one was allowed to enter the property since the project is in violation of the Forest Act, the TCP Act etc. But the sarpanch had to inspect the site to prevent the spread of malaria. Parrikar thought they had gone to see the illegalities and from that day, Parrikar has been harassing the sarpanch and deputy sarpanch by filing several false cases,” Chodankar said.
He recalled that Parrikar had threatened in the Legislative Assembly that if anyone talks about his son’s project he would put them in jail. “Parrikar has acted on his threat,” Chodankar said.
Chodankar said that Parrikar thought he would develop the village in order to benefit his son’s project and now he is treating the village like his personal kingdom.
Chodankar also alleged that Parrikar used the entire government machinery to disqualify the sarpanch and deputy sarpanch.
Chodankar said, “If collecting garbage fees and parking fees is illegal, then, many other sarpanchas will have to be disqualified. This particular case was heard on a fast track mode by the Director of Panchayat who is controlled by the government. Earlier, he used the government machinery to target Digambar Kamat because he saw Kamat as a threat to his position.”
Former chief minister Digambar Kamat said that local self governments have to be strengthened but the State government is doing the opposite.
