Drugs, corruption charges against Ravi Naik virtually ignored
Kawthankar elevated after being slammed for party criticism
TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: Contradicting its own ‘mantra’ about picking candidates with ‘clean image’ for parliamentary polls, former Chief Minister Ravi Naik, who is set to contest the North Goa seat pending an official announcement, has been implicated in drug nexus case as well as corruption charges. He is also expected to be summoned by the anti-corruption branch in connection with job scam.
Similarly, Sunil Kawthankar, who has been criticized for anti-party activities in the past is been elevated as one of its four recently-appointed youth spokespersons of the party while he also holds the post of secretary of Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC).
In an in-camera session last week, the party’s Parliamentary Board reportedly has virtually cleared the names of Ravi Naik and sitting MP Francisco Sardinha for the North and South seats, respectively. However, it has deferred announcing their names in its list twice raising scepticism among many on the two names.
The party in Goa is though confident about Naik and Sardinha contesting the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, whose names were among the most preferred from six names for the two seats Naik, involved in a string of controversies, has been indicted for his alleged links with drug peddlers by Goa Assembly committee, which recommended action against him and a probe by NIA.
The explosive report, tabled in the assembly last year, had accused him and his son Roy of being involved in and shielding narcotics trade in the coastal State during the erstwhile Congress-led government.
“The House Committee holds that Ravi S Naik, then Home Minister, was actively involved in drug trade. He was closely associated with drug mafia leader Yaniv Benaim (an Israeli national) and shielded his son and instigated police personnel under his charge to gleefully indulge in drug trade in the State for common pecuniary and other gains,” an extract from the five-member committee report headed by legislator Francisco Pacheco reads.
It had further observed that the pecuniary gains received by the father-son duo by colluding with drug traders and drug mafia were invested in several commercial and illicit purposes. “… thereby raising a doubt whether such investments were in conformity with national security and requiring a thorough investigation by the NIA,” he mentioned.
In another setback for the then minister, the anti-corruption branch of the Vigilance department registered two separate First Information Reports (FIRs) for alleged recruitment scam in the animal husbandry and veterinary services, and cooperative societies against him and former departments’ officers. Sources said he has been booked for irregularities and since his involvement has surfaced in the FIRs, he will soon be summoned for interrogation. Meanwhile, Naik is already geared up to fight the polls from North Goa, which was traditionally being fought by the party’s old ally Nationalist Congress Party.
GPCC President John Fernandes, when contacted for comments, supported his candidate saying offences against Naik has not been proven yet and neither cases chargesheeted against him.
With regards to party’s young brigade who exposed scams within the Congress itself involving ex-PWD minister Churchill Alemao and others, and was instrumental to transfer the drug nexus case to CBI through High Court order, has been given prime postings in the committee. The former president and vice president of National Students Union of India-Goa unit, has been appointed as the party’s secretary and spokesperson. Fernandes, to this, said “We encourage people who are trying to clean the system…the leadership in Delhi appoints spokespersons and the appointments are based on the performances,” he explained.
