PANAJI
With allegations of an alleged sex scandal involving a minister making headlines, the core committee of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) met on Wednesday and held deliberations where Chief Minister Pramod Sawant reportedly revealed that the matter is now being handled by the party’s Central leadership.
Besides Sawant, the party’s State President, Sadanand Tanavade, ministers Mauvin Godinho and Vishwajit Rane, former MP Narendra Sawaikar and other office bearers including former chief minister Laxmikant Parsekar, treasurer Sanjeev Desai among others attended.
A source present at the meeting said the chief minister cut short all discussion on the issue when he revealed that the matter has been left for the party’s Central leadership to decide.
Allegations of the sex scandal involving an unnamed State cabinet minister were made by Congress State president Girish Chodankar on Tuesday.
Chodankar had also alleged that Sawant was aware of it but was trying to destroy evidence linked to the case and warned that Whatsapp chat-based evidence of the episode would be put out in the public if the minister involved is not sacked by December 19 when Prime Minister Narendra Modi is slated to visit the State for the 60th Liberation Day celebrations.
Close on the heels of the allegations by Chodankar, the BJP’s Vasco MLA Carlos Almeida, who is smarting over possible denial of renomination for the 2022 Assembly elections, lent credibility to the reports saying there is truth in the allegation.
Almeida said the issue will impact the party adversely.
