TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: In what could be a major development, the AICC General Secretary Oscar Fernandes has called for and received all documents pertaining to the I-T expose on the Congress candidate from St Cruz Babush Monserrate, having received kickbacks for land conversion in the scrapped Regional Plan 2011.
The issue, consistently highlighted by Herald, was suddenly brought into sharp focus by a delegation of the Village Groups of Goa on Wednesday as they waited for a pre-arranged audience with Fernandes to discuss the huge anomalies in the notified RP 2021. The group by chance found itself with the rest of the media during the press conference addressed by Oscar Fernandes. A member of the Village Groups, seized the opportunity and asked how could a party allot a ticket to someone, its minister, who has been found to have received bribes for land conversions in the Regional Plan of 2011, with some of those conversions maintained in the notified Regional Plan?
Fernandes was initially taken aback and with no knowledge of the subject said that if the I-T Department has slapped fines, they would be paid. At that time, some people rushed to him to point out that the questioner wasn’t a reporter. At this juncture the Press said that it was an important question and they wanted an answer. Oscar then mumbled that he would study the matter. However, the Village Groups raised the issue again when they met him later and explained the seriousness of the issue. On Thursday, the entire Income Tax assessment order of
When Fernandes realised that this wasn’t about tax dues but actual bribes, recorded by I-T, he asked for the I-T assessment order which was finally sent to him in
It is reliably learnt that Oscar Fernandes, will study and take it up with the AICC before the last date of withdrawal of nominations on February 13, to see if a rethink is needed on Monserrate’s candidature.
