Team Herald
PANJIM: Faced with tough questions over the cash-for-jobs scam that has rocked Goa, the ruling BJP on Saturday resorted to whataboutery, claiming that the Opposition AAP and Congress had no ground to raise questions about corruption, since their own track records were not clean. However, the Opposition and civil society activists immediately called the BJP’s bluff, and pointed out that the ruling had still not handed over the probe to an independent judicial commission.
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At a press conference in the capital on Saturday, Arun Singh, the National General Secretary of BJP, said that Congress leaders always spoke up against the Central government just before a Parliament session started.
Replying to allegations on the cash-for-jobs scam, Singh said, “These allegations are coming from a party whose Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister and MPs have gone in jail for scams and are now out on bail. Our government is clean and is taking action on the complaints. BJP is a party that doesn’t save anyone. It is AAP that saves its leaders involved in wrongdoings.”
He also announced that Goa BJP would get new Mandal, District Presidents by the end of December and a new State President by January 2025.
Reacting sharply to Singh’s comments, AAP State President Amit Palekar said, “We have gone to jail in a case where the Supreme Court has categorically said that the ED and CBI have acted as a caged parrot. It was a political case that was started to win elections.Here is a case where complainants have named the wife of the Chief Minister,but he has not answered any of the questionsraised by the former Goa Governor. That makes everyone believe that the Governor is right. If they have no fear, why not appoint a Judicial Commission and stop this cover-up?”
Political commentator Trajano D’Mello said that the present investigation is an eyewash and doesn’t have anything to do with the job scam. “The scam will come out only if there is an investigation into the jobs given 2012 onwards. All of those who have been recruited need to be put to scrutiny. We will realise that the meritorious candidates never got the job. No one has demanded this because many in the Opposition parties also got jobs for their people,” he said.
Activist Swapnesh Sherlekar said that the scope of investigation and the seriousness of the cash-for-jobs scam has been reduced to something like a consumer forum matter. “The investigation has focused only on persons who have paid money,but not got the services that were promised, almost turning the entire matter into something like a consumer rights issue. If this is the manner in which the case is being investigated, they will never get to the big fish,” he said.
