TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: Having stormed to power in 2012 with the promise of zero tolerance to corruption, the ruling Bharatiya Janata party on Monday said that corruption does exist in the State, and that zero tolerance does not mean ending corruption.
Addressing media persons Monday evening, BJP spokesperson Dr Wilfred Mesquita said that achieving zero corruption is impossible in a country like India.
“Zero tolerance to corruption did not mean zero corruption or no corruption. It means no toleration of corruption,” Mesquita said, while responding to a question pertaining to the recent remarks by Director General of Police T N Mohan that corruption has reached “unacceptable levels” in the Police Department.
“Corruption still exists in Goa. It prevails in every government department. Ultimately, corruption that is taking place is being done by Goans only,” he emphasized, adding that people, who are partners in corruption, don’t come forward and complain against any officer.
Mesquita said the party still stands by its promise of zero tolerance to corruption and within the next two to three months the government will appoint a Lokayukta, as the position is vacant since October 2013.
“If we don’t get the person eligible for that post, we might have to amend the Goa Lokayukta Act which stipulates that a person of the level of retired Chief Justice or Justice of Supreme Court be appointed as Lokayukta,” he said.
The BJP came to power in 2012 riding on an anti-incumbency wave against the then Congress government and had promised zero tolerance to corruption in its manifesto. Further, the BJP leader also admitted that the narcotic trade does exist in Goa and the current BJP-led government has been successful in curbing it down to some extent.
“The amount of seizures of narcotics that have been reported in the last one year, are more than those in the last 10 years,” he said.
Responding to the previous day’s criticism, BJP slammed the Congress party for its allegations over government’s failure in delivering its pre-poll promises. “Congress President Luizinho Faleiro is doing political terrorism with his false, baseless allegations and propaganda against the BJP government,” Mesquita said. He said that government’s success is evident from the fact that people voted for its candidates during the Lok Sabha elections.
Mesquita said that the allegation against the government is a result of his frustration with the decaying and crumbling of the Congress in the State. “But I will congratulate him for his idea to ask his senior partymen to step aside,” he added.
The BJP leader said that government is not selective in giving benefits of social schemes. He said that of the total 1,17,513 beneficiaries of Griha Adhar, 27,000 are Catholics, while 6,000 are Muslims. Similarly, in the case of Dayanand Social Security Scheme, of the total 1,33,034, 48,000 are Catholics and 5,000 are Muslims.
