PANJIM: Former Chief Minister Digambar Kamat has accused the BJP-led government of attempting to restrain the Congress party from forming the government by summoning him for questioning in the on-going mining probe. 

In his 13-page anticipatory bail application, supported by voluminous documents, Kamat also charged BJP with victimising and harassing him since coming to power in 2012. 

“He (Kamat as the petition is submitted to the court through his lawyers) is being accused of the offenses in order to silence him and in order to see that the largest Congress party in Goa which is now 16 seats does not form government under the petitioner’s (Kamat) leadership or otherwise,” the petition said adding, “He has earned the label of a common man leader during the course of his political career and as an accepted leader of the masses or that he is made to swing his allegiance to the BJP party. It is pertinent to note that the petitioner is being victimised and harassed by the BJP government for oblique reasons from the time it assumed power in Goa in 2012 as the largest party.”

Stating that his custodial interrogation is not necessary in the illegal mining probe, he further alleged that the government is attempting to ensure he ‘performs his public duty to the tune of the government’. “The apprehended arrest is towards keeping him quiet and submissive to the ruling party and/or its mandate and solely with a view to restraining him from performing his constitutional duty as an elected MLA sitting in the opposition bench,” reads the plea filed through senior counsel Surendra Desai and advocate Parag Rao.

Kamat also denied any illegalities during his tenure stating, “The petitioner has exercised his statutory authority/quasi judicial power in examining the relevant files. This exercise of power is subject to revision by the Central government. Therefore even if it can be said that the petitioner has committed a mistake in exercise of his statutory quasi judicial power, he cannot be held guilty of committing a crime. 

A mountain of molehill is being made by the BJP in power in order to silence the petitioner to win over him,” the petition states. He also questioned the wisdom of the SIT sleuths of summoning him after a long lull period. He was last questioned in 2014.