MAPUSA
Mapusa MLA Joshua D’Souza has strongly distanced himself and his late father, former Deputy Chief Minister Francis D’Souza, from alleged land-grab accused Suleman Siddiqui’s claim of a 1996 property transaction at Mapusa Housing Board, Ekta Nagar.
D’Souza told The Goan that he was only eight years old when the alleged transaction took place and had no knowledge of any sale deed purportedly signed by his father.
“I don’t know anything about the sale deed signed by my dad. He says the sale deed was done in 1996, which means I must have been eight years old. I am not aware at all if my dad had signed a sale deed which Suleman Siddiqui is claiming,” Joshua said.
Siddiqui, in an application/affidavit filed before the Additional Sessions Court during his bail proceedings, had referred to his dealings with politicians, claiming that his long career as a builder and property dealer brought him into contact with several MLAs and ministers in Goa and outside the State.
In relation to the Mapusa property, Siddiqui claimed that he had negotiated to purchase around 20,000 sq mt at Housing Board, Ekta Nagar, in a transaction involving Francis D’Souza.
Siddiqui’s claims formed part of a wider narrative put before the court in which he alleged that he had extensive political contacts and that political influence had been used against him.
Joshua, however, said the property belonged to his relatives and not his immediate family.
“The landowners are my relatives. Half of them are in the US. One family which was here was in close contact with us till this Suleman started putting everything on us,” he said.
According to D’Souza, Siddiqui subsequently attempted to negotiate with him over the property, but he refused to get involved and told him to take the matter to court.
He said the dispute is now before the courts and is being pursued by the original owners.
“The matter is in court now. The original owners are pursuing it in court. The matter is sub-judice,” he said.
Joshua also stressed that his father was not an MLA at the time of the alleged transaction.
“In 1996 my dad was not even an MLA,” he said.
The MLA further claimed that Siddiqui had been trying to sell the property to another person, while the original owners were pursuing their claim through the legal process.
Siddiqui’s court statement assumes political significance because of his broader claim that his property dealings over nearly three decades brought him into contact with several politicians, including ministers and MLAs.
