PANAJI
Congress president and the Leader of Opposition adopted contrasting stands on the question of whether political motivations fuelled and fanned the Anti Corruption Branch FIR against LoO Chandrakant "Babu" Kavlekar and his wife for disproportionate assets and the stream of ACB raids that followed.
Speaking to The Goan, LoO and Quepem MLA Kavlekar said, "The inquiry has been going on for over seven years since 2010 and I have cooperated at every juncture. ACB team has searched my residence, office and factory in the past as well. I understand their procedure and at this juncture, I don't think the case is politically motivated."
He claimed to be in possession of all the documentary evidence required to prove the source of all assets and income and argued that these are not disproportionate.
However, GPCC president Shantaram Naik begged to differ. Briefing the media at Congress House, the GPCC president accused the ruling party of playing foul.
"The raid is politically motivated and is malicious, carried out with ulterior motives. BJP wants to compel some Congress MLAs to join their party and now they have invented a new method of forming a government and strengthening it thereafter."
He sought to point out that Kavlekar has cooperated with the ACB since 2010 and insisted that the investigating agency had always given the impression that they are fully satisfied by the cooperation given to them by Kavlekar.
Adding fuel to fire, Naik further hinted that this is one among the many ploys of the BJP to corner the Congress legislators. "I learn that Congress MLAs were threatened with action if they don't toe the BJP line. But our MLAs have made no complaints to me yet. You can imagine how scared they may be. We as a political party cannot just shut our eyes thinking that everything is going on well. Nothing is well and fascism is taking roots in Goa," Naik lamented.
The GPCC president further declared, "An atmosphere is sought to be created so that Congress MLAs are compelled to join BJP. But that will not happen. They probably have been threatened in such a manner they feel cornered."
