the goan I network
PANAJI
After the Goa Forward Party, the Congress came down heavily on Chief Minister Pramod Sawant for allegedly owning 2,966 acres of land in Dodamarg, Maharashtra, even as Sawant denied these allegations and retaliated by saying he would file a defamation case against those citing wrong figures.
At a press conference held at the Congress House on Saturday, Congress national spokesman Pawan Khera questioned, “What is it about Dodamarg taluka in Maharashtra that the Chief Minister of Goa, who belongs to the BJP, goes to campaign against the joint candidature of BJP and Shiv Sena in the Sawantwadi Assembly segment?”.
He added that a group created by Sawant spoke about the merger of the taluka with Goa. “We demand to know if this talk of a merger is inspired by the investments made by Sawant in the taluka,” said Khera.
The Congress is not the first party in the State to allege that Sawant is trying to merge Dodamarg with Goa on account of the property he owns there. Last week, GFP chief Vijai Sardessai also made allegations.
However, Sawant has retaliated, threatening to file a defamation case against those giving out wrong figures.
When contacted by a journalist from this organisation for a clarification, Sawant said that he owned around 2.966 acres of land in Dodamarg, and that he had specified details of the same on his affidavit submitted at the time of the Assembly elections in 2017. (A copy of the said affidavit is available on the website of the Chief Electoral Officer of Goa. The decimal point is unclear in the affidavit which has led to the confusion.)
“In Maharashtra, the ceiling for agricultural land is 54 acres. No one can own land over and above this ceiling, even if you happen to be the Chief Minister belonging to the BJP,” Khera told the press.
The party also questioned whether the land was barren or whether there was a crusher on it, and whether Sawant declared this in his election affidavit. “If there was a crusher on this land, why did he mention this as agricultural land?” questioned Khera.
