PANJIM: The Goa Pradesh Committee (GPCC) has demanded sacking of a Cabinet minister allegedly involved in land grabbing cases in Goa to pave way for free and fair investigations.
“Constitution of Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate illegal land grabbing using forged documents is a welcome step taken by the government. When I had raised the issue I was mocked by people in power, even my effigy was burnt”, said former GPCC president Girish Chodankar.
Chodankar further said, “I wonder how SIT will do justice when a sitting Cabinet minister is involved in huge land grabbings. If Chief Minister Pramod Sawant is serious, he should drop the minister to give free hand to SIT and confidence to land losers to come forward and file complaints before SIT.”
Chodankar demanded the chief minister must immediately sack the minister and also send officers involved on forced leave till the investigations are completed.
“If the minister continues, there is fear that he can influence the SIT team who are State government employees and as such land losers will feel insecure to come forward”, he said adding that the government should not use SIT selectively and allow to go scot free those close to BJP.
“If intention of chief minister is clean, I dare him to have SIT monitored by High Court on weekly basis,” he said.
Refusing to disclose the name of the minister involved and maintaining suspense, Chodankar said that the Congress had adopted the same strategy on earlier occasion regarding involvement of the then BJP minister in sex scandal and eventually the said minister was forced to resign.
