Team Herald
PANJIM: Former Chief Minister Digambar Kamat, who is being investigated in Rs 35,000 crore illegal mining scam, on Monday said that the Supreme Court never passed any strictures or indicted him or his government in the mining scam.
“No court judgments have indicted me in the mining scam. The earlier Supreme Court judgment (passed in April 2014) passed no strictures against me or my government. But you read the latest Court judgement which has passed strictures on the BJP-led government. It never passed any such thing on my government,” Kamat told media persons.
The Justice M B Shah Commission in its inquiry report had stated that the Chief Minister and Mines Minister during the period 2006-2011, were involved in shielding illegal mining. Kamat is currently been investigated by the Special Investigating Team (SIT).
Speaking on the current mining crisis, the former Chief Minister claimed he has the capacity to solve the crisis while indirectly alleging that the State government has “no will and intelligence” to do that.
“I have the capacity to handle the mining crisis. Why should I give suggestions to the government? If tomorrow Congress forms the government, I will disclose it,” Kamat said.
He added, “Let me tell you one thing, I am the only chief minister in the entire country who dared to scrap the SEZ (special economic zone) policy and de-notify the SEZs,” he added.
Taking an indirect pot-shot at the BJP-led government, Kamat said that one needs to have a will and intelligence to handle the mining issue. “One must have the will and mind to apply to solve such issues,” he said.
