PANAJI
Mormugao MLA and Dy CLP Leader Sankalp Amonkar has appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to immediately sack Union Minister Smriti Irani for a free and fair investigation into her family run business in Goa.
In this regards, MLA Amonkar has shot off a letter to the PM stating that various irregularities have been conducted while granting licences to Silly Souls Cafe and Bar at Assagao, which is run by Irani's family.
“Smriti Irani has once again lied to the nation on her family run business in Goa after her infamous graduation degree issue. All evidence, including her latest affidavit filed before ECI during 2019 elections, documents of Registrar of Companies-Maharashtra and GST details prove prima facie that the restaurant in question 'Silly Souls Cafe & Bar' at Assagao is run by her family,” Amonkar pointed out.
“The illegalities in the matter include illegal issuance of liquor license and illegal construction of the restaurant in violation of various laws. It is also suspected that this entire business has been run on benami style and there is a high possibility that the property is also occupied/held as benami,” he said.
“Various State departments including Excise, Panchayat, GST, TCP, etc are involved in the inquiry of the case and since Central and State governments are run by the same party, it is natural that various authorities and their heads including the Chief Minister and his cabinet ministers are under immense pressure to protect Smriti Irani and her family,” Amonkar opined.
He has further pointed out that when Women and Child Development Minister Vishwajit Rane calls Irani as his boss, how can one expect justice from the minister who also holds the TCP portfolio.
“How can we expect justice from the CM who has maintained stoic silence on the issue? How can we expect an IAS officer to give justice when a senior minister says Irani is his boss? How can we expect the State government employees to be upright when their bosses have surrendered before Irani?” Amonkar posed.
“We strongly demand that Smriti Irani be immediately dropped from the council of ministers in order to pave way for a free and fair probe,” stated Amonkar while adding that she could be re-inducted if found innocent.
