YC still circulating receipts for Canacona relief: Deshprabhu
HERALD REPORTER
PANJIM, DEC 16
If the Goa Pradesh Youth Congress thinks allegations of misappropriation of money meant for Canacona flood relief have died down, then it is probably mistaken.
On Thursday, national secretary of the Nationalist Congress Party Jitendra Deshprabhu answering a question raked up the issue yet again claiming even today receipt books for collection of money for Canacona flood relief were being circulated by the Youth Congress.
Deshprabhu took a dig at YC when a media person questioned him on the move of its youth wing, Nationalist Youth Congress, to strengthen the young brigade in Goa when there was a strong presence of its ally’s, the Congress Party’s, youth wing.
He said there was no comparison as the NYC stood independently on the plank of secularism and integrity. “The YC distributed wrong money, some Rs 10 lakh, to the flood-affected people of Canacona, while it has actually collected Rs 70 lakh. The State NCP had resolved to file a complaint,” he mentioned.
When the media pressured the national secretary to say why there was no written complaint filed if the party was convinced of the fraud by the YC, he said the Home Minister was of the Congress. “He should have taken suo moto cognisance of the matter. Also, the documentation which is the evidence is with the Congress,” he added.
CONGRESS COMMUNAL: Once a Congressman himself, Deshprabhu ridiculed his former party by saying the same had lost focus and had become communal minded. “It is now dividing Hindus for political gains. The Congress of today is far different from what tenets of secularism leaders like Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal and in today’s time Sonia Gandhi portrayed,” he observed.
MICKKY’S STATEMENT: Answering a question on its MLA Mickky Pacheco’s birthday speech of fielding candidates in all 40 constituencies in the State, the national secretary said, “NCP is ready if it is forced to field 40 candidates, but at the same time let me be specific in stating this issue is left to the national leadership of both parties. It is not right to extract a statement on this issue.”
Tourism Minister Nilkanth Halarnkar, who was also present, said the Benaulim MLA can’t be taken seriously. On yesterday’s visit to Congressman Vijay Sardessai’s residence where other Congress bigwigs appeared, Halarnkar claimed it was nothing political but just ‘dinner diplomacy’. Four papers have reported the news in four different ways, he added.
