Congress candidate for North Goa Lok Sabha seat, Ramakant Khalap during an interaction with party members in Bastora.
Photo Credits: Ramakant Khalap/X
MAPUSA
Former Union Minister and Congress candidate for the North Goa Parliamentary seat, Ramakant Khalap issued a bold challenge to the BJP government, expressing his openness to any investigation regarding the Mapusa Urban Cooperative Bank (MUCB).
In a defiant stance, Khalap dared the BJP to deploy agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate (ED) against him and even proposed a public discussion on the MUCB matter.
“I am ready for anything under the sky. If at all any investigation is initiated or even ED or other forces are used against me… I am open to it. Do whatever you want. Inquire, investigate or send your sleuths…” Khalap said.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant in a statement to the media on Thursday said the government would not shy away to re-open the Mapusa Urban Cooperative Bank file.
The statement was viewed as a veiled threat against the opposition Congress candidate Ramakant Khalap who is apparently giving the BJP candidate Shripad Naik a run for his money in the ensuing parliamentary polls. The elections in Goa will be held in the third phase on May 7.
Khalap questioned why the BJP had not launched an investigation against him or the bank over the past two decades. “For the last 25 long years…I have been sitting quietly…You could have investigated the case if there was anything wrong…” he said.
Recounting past encounters with the BJP, Khalap revealed that previous attempts to incriminate him had failed, citing instances where cases filed by the BJP were dismissed by the courts.
“The then chief minister Manohar Parrikar had filed some criminal cases against me and the board of directors of the MUCB. All those cases were thrown out. They beat a hasty retreat when they came to know what they were doing was not correct,” Khalap said.
He said that despite the BJP's control of the MUCB for five years, they were unable to improve its financial situation. Khalap recalled a promise made by the BJP government to invest Rs 30 crore in the MUCB, of which only a fraction was delivered before being withdrawn entirely.
As the election campaign intensifies, Khalap's challenge to the BJP underscores the contentious nature of the issues surrounding the Mapusa Urban Cooperative Bank and sets the stage for a heated political confrontation in the run-up to the polls.
