PANJIM: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Goa unit has come down heavily on the Congress for making allegations against former Chief Minister late Manohar Parrikar into illegal mining activities that has been stalled since September 2012.
A press statement issued by BJP General Secretary Narendra Sawaikar states that the Opposition’s attempt is to cover up on their sins, corruption and misdeeds.
“It is utter disgraceful that Congress has been trying to cover up their sins, corruption and misdeeds by making allegations against former Chief Minister late Manohar Parrikar, who has been instrumental in bringing to book the large-scale loot through illegal mining. It is worth recalling that during Congress-led government’s rule in the State, there was unaccountable, uncontrolled and unprecedented extraction of iron ore violating all the laws. Their own Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, had instituted Justice Shah Commission to investigate into the illegalities, which was placed before the Parliament,” Sawaikar said.
Goa Pradesh Congress Committee President Girish Chodankar, at a press conference on Thursday had produced letters from Prime Minister’s Office and State government’s Public Grievances Cell that claimed Rs 35,000 crore mining scam never happened in Goa.
“Not only Congress Party suffered due to this report-which maligned us, but more than three lakh mining dependents have suffered since last nine years after then chief minister Manohar Parrikar took steps for closure of mining activities. Hence, now dare Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant and BJP party to make public the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), if it exists, public before Zilla Panchayat election,” Chodankar was quoted as saying.
To counter his statement, Sawaikar said that then Union Environment Minister Jayanti Natarajan, who is also a Congress leader, revoked environment clearances for the mining leases in Goa.
“This is a part of history that one cannot forget. It was during the tenure of Manohar Parrikar, then Laxmikant Parsekar and now Dr Pramod Sawant that the State government left no stone unturned to provide financial assistance to the people affected with the closure of the mining industry, which benefitted thousands of people,” the senior BJP leader said.
