MADKAIKAR INDUCTED
* BJP on Friday welcomed Pandurang Madkaikar into the party
* Madkaikar insists that he didn't join party for post of minister
* He takes a dig at the prevailing family Raj of Congress party
* Post of minister can be discussed only after the polls, he says
* Cong hasn't learnt its lesson, few families will get tickets, he says
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Former Chief Minister and current Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar was at pains to defend his decision to induct two allegedly tainted former Congress members Mauvin Godinho, who he had earlier accused of being involved in a power scam, and Pandurang Madkaikar who he had accused of land grabbing.
“The inquiry (in the matter) is complete. You go and read my whole statement, we handed it over to the concerned department to inquire. Inquiry has been completed. If inquiry finds something there will be necessary action,” Parrikar first said.
“You are first of all asking a question which was four years old. If there is something legal the law will take its own course. But I think you will have to first find out what happened to that inquiry and then come back to us,” Parrikar told journalists seeking for “advance intimation about this.”
“Because this is a four and a half year old issue which I can’t answer right now. Without finding out what has happened to it. If there is, then there will some action on that. Whether we have to do anything,” Parrikar said.
Parrikar went on to say that all the money that was to be lost by the government was recovered.
“It was an allegation 20 years back for which I fought a case and got all recoveries. So, we did not allow any wrong doing,” Parrikar said. “I fought the matter in the court, you didn’t fight it,” he added
“We recovered Rs 63 crore to the state government. As far as I’m concerned the issue is over at that point when recovery to the state government came,” Parrikar said.
“It was a wrong thing. It was not to have happened. I fought the matter, I won it. Mauvin Godinho is clean. The issue is over for me. Let the court decide whatever happens. If there was a criminal part, it is for the court to decide. This order is not as per business rules and we managed to win it and recover Rs 63 crore after spending Rs 10-15 lakh,” Parrikar said.
