Team Herald
PANJIM: In the wake of ongoing speedy probe into the multi-crore mining scam by Special Investigating Team (SIT) after initial lull, the Congress has accused Manohar Parrikar-led coalition government of once again using the mining issue for its political vendetta to ensure stability to the government and exploit mine owners.
“It is not only the Congress but even the people of Goa are realising that BJP government is using mining issue once again to fulfil its political goal of ensuring stability to the immoral minority government, to keep up pressure on the MLAs and keeping mine owners under constant strain in order to exploit them,” All India Congress Committee (AICC) secretary Girish Chodankar said in a press statement issued on Sunday.
“Our party is against illegal mining and the government should firmly deal with the issue but we are strongly against using it to fulfil BJP’s political vendetta and hidden agenda and to buy stability for the government,” he added.
Chodankar claimed that suddenly the pressure has intensified on agencies like SIT on the issues like mining, the matter which was raised by BJP to win 2012 assembly elections by misleading people.
“While having absolute majority of 21 MLAs, BJP Government never thought of investigating into the mining scam but after the number of MLAs reduced to 13 in 2017, BJP wants to strongly pursue the matter,” he said.
SIT is investigating into a Rs 35,000 crore mining scam as pegged by Justice MB Shah Commission, that nails former Chief Minister and Congress MLA Digamber Kamat as one of the prime accuse.
Chodankar said if BJP was serious about mining scam, they could have easily investigated during 2012-17 when they had absolute majority in Goa. “During this period, our party was consistently demanding with Parrikar to prove his claim on mining allegations and since he failed we named them as U-turn government,” he commented.
AICC leader said that BJP is very good at making wild allegations using inflated figures supported by cheap publicity stunt to confuse people for votes.
