The commercial capital’s MLA Digambar Kamat, a former chief minister, has also been questioned in the case, and has applied for anticipatory bail, raising the question whether he would be on the Crime Branch list of persons to be arrested after Alemao.
A day after his supporters had flooded the Hari Mandir area in front of his residence in a show of strength and Kamat had rattled off speeches in the most animated form the mood was one of wariness.
BJP’s Devidas Borkar, a market vendor, condemned the statement of some leaders of the market association to close down Margao and said they would not support any bandh. Borkar said, “It is not someone’s father’s property that they will close when they want and open when they want. There are poor traders in the market who are dependent on the day’s earning and no one is in a mood to suffer losses in this slag season.”
Margao BJP leader Sharmad Raiturkar said, “Yesterday’s gathering and slogan shouting by some people are from the pro-Digambar areas and was an attempt to show that Madgaonkars are behind the corrupt and criminal. Digambar’s statement that if crime is proven against him he will retire from politics and sit at home is rubbish because he will be sitting in jail and not at home if charges are proved. Madgaonkars won’t be fooled by a rowdy crowd Mr Kamat,” Raiturkar said.
However, market leader and Konkani activist Prashant Naik mocked this and said that the summons to Kamat had been issued against the backdrop of many people in Margao dreaming to contest and win the elections. “Because they cannot defeat him in the elections they are pulling Digambar in the soup. I will tell them that all Madgaonkar’s and Gaadekar’s of Margao are and will be with Digambar Kamat always,” Naik said.
Kamat’s former personal assistant and tribal leader Prakash Velip denied knowledge of the JICA controversy during his tenure with Kamat. “As far as my memory goes and my diary records show, I have not dealt with any such company or person and can’t even recall speaking on the phone. My memory in such things is sharp,” Velip said.
The debate soon turned into BJP vs Congress that seems to have encompassed the mood in the commercial capital as councillor Damu Shirodkar, one of Kamat’s oldest camp members, who is a MMC Councillor reacted strongl.
“There is an anti-BJP wave in Margao. It looks like the BJP government won’t even cross double figures in the coming elections. This is political vendetta which has put Digambar in trouble because Crime Branch has no proof against him. People in Margao are learned and according to my intelligence I have heard that the people across religions are angered by the actions of the government,” said Shirodkar.
Concurring with Shirodkar, was Sandeep Painginkar, a property developer and a strong Kamat supporter. “This kind of political vendetta and vengeance has not been seen in Goa. Many ministers were found in scams and scandals but political vengeance unleashed this time is bad for society and should stop,” Painginkar said.
BJYM president Abhishek Kakodkar said the people are fed up of Kamat’s known tactics and his supporters’ reactions.
“There have been threatening calls to various people of closing down Margao town if their Godfather is arrested. This is an effort to influence the court decision on the MLA’s bail plea. BJYM condemns the acts and warns Kamat not to fool Madgaonkars,” Kakodkar said.
Citizen activist and advocate Rajeev Gomes who has stepped up the ante against Kamat questioned why no action was initiated against the former CM yet.
“It appears that the government is not serious in taking any action against the Margao MLA for obvious reasons. Otherwise why was he given a chance to file a bail application in court and Churchill was directly arrested? Citizens are watching the bona fides of the government very closely,” Gomes said.
