Don't pressurise me to take action against corrupt instantly: Parrikar

Panaji: Stepping up attack against Congress, Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar today asked BJP workers to mobilise public opinion against “corrupt” former ministers so that they don’t earn sympathy after being arrested in graft-related offences.

“There will be action against those former Congress ministers who were involved in corruption. But I am worried they may earn sympathy if we arrest them,” he told a state executive committee meeting of BJP in Panaji.

“That is why there should be demand from the public for their arrest. The BJP workers should make efforts towards creating such a demand among people,” Parrikar said.

BJP National General Secretary Satish Velankar, Goa desk in-charge Smriti Irani and party’s state unit President Vinay Tendulkar, among others, were present at the meeting.

Parrikar told committee members that action would be initiated against Congress legislator Chandrakant Kavlekar, who is being probed in industrial plot allotment scam.

Kavlekar, who was chairman of state-run Industrial Development Corporation during Congress-led Government, has been accused of illegal allotment of industrial plots.

“The next would be Atanasio ‘Babush’ Monseratte. Action against him would be taken before Diwali,” said Parrikar, referring to the former Town and Country Planning Minister, who had been embroiled into a controversy over the Regional Plan (a land use scheme) of the coastal state.

The members questioned Parrikar over the delay in action against the Congress leaders, who were allegedly involved in corruption during the erstwhile Digambar Kamat-led Government.

“Don’t pressurise me to take action instantly,” he said.

The chief minister said the Government will take the help of bureaucrats in exposing the “misdeeds” of former ministers and Congress politicians.

PTI