Panaji: Congress party has asked ailing Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar to come clean on the allegations of illegal mining after his own cabinet colleague confessed that the Public Accounts Committee report on the issue was a political stunt.
In the year 2012, Parrikar who was then Leader of Opposition, had chaired Public Accounts Committee of Goa Legislative Assembly on mining which had pointed out to massive illegal mining in the State.
The report had also named then Chief Minister Digambar Kamat was one of the accused in the illegal mining between 2005-2012.
All India Congress Committee Secretary A Chellakuar talking to reporters in Goa on Wednesday asked Parrikar to come clean on his findings in the report.
Congress leader pointed out to the statement by BJP MLA and State Power Minister Nilesh Cabral that the illegal mining report was a political stunt by his party.
Cabral had made the statement while participating in a debate orgaised by local channel.
“On behalf of the Congress party, we request CM of the State who is the propogator of Rs 35,000 crore figure of illegal mining. If you were right then give reply to the statement of your own minister (Cabral),” he said.
Chellakumar said that Congress party is “very clean” and was “not scared of the allegations of illegal mining leveled against them.”
The Congress leader claimed that Parrikar, during his stint as the Leader of Opposition, tried to create mirage in front of the public and branded Congress as corrupt party.
With his own agenda, Parrikar succeded to win over power during 2012 Asssembly Election. “But the fact is that today, his own cabinet minister has openly said that it is a political stunt. The mining scam was totally a political stunt,” Chellakumar said.
He also said that the findings of M B Shah Commission, which had pegged illegal mining in Goa to be to the tune of Rs 35,000 crore, were based on the PAC report.
Chellakumar alleged that BJP had misled the people and the country for their short term political gains.
