Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: Opposition have alleged that they are being targeted by the government for raising a voice on the cash-for-job scam.
During a joint news conference, Congress MLA, Goa Forward Party President Vijai Sardesai, and AAP Goa Convenor Amit Palekar accused the police of tracking and monitoring opposition leaders, including listening in on their phone conversations.
Palekar reaffirmed the opposition’s demand for a judicial investigation into the cash-for-job scandal, claiming that his clients had received police calls, inciting panic. He also accused the government of ordering the accused to return bribe money in an effort to silence the issue.
Additionally, he claimed that important people the accused named—such as a “empress” and a non-uniformed police officer—have not been looked into.
Citing a recent instance in which police officers paid him a visit at his own farmhouse, Sardesai charged that the administration was employing the police to intimidate opposition leaders.
He questioned whether the purpose of such measures was to distract attention from the 47 people the accused implicated in the job scam and to inspire terror in the opposition. While the police are fast to look into opposition members, Sardesai claimed that those involved in the scheme are getting away with it.
The leaders emphasized that Atanasio “Babush” Monserrate and Ramakrishna “Sudin” Dhavalikar, two prominent BJP leaders, had also voiced their displeasure with the affair. Sardesai cautioned the administration against stifling opposition and dubbed the swindle “Vyapam 2.”
He emphasized that the opposition would not be intimidated and would pursue justice through the legal system if required, and he urged authorities and police not to join forces in concealing the scam.
