By PTI
PANAJI: Veteran Congress leader and former Goa chief minister Digambar Kamat on Thursday claimed that there exists no report of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which purportedly pointed out a Rs 35,000 crore mining scam in the state.
The BJP has accused Kamat of being involved in the alleged scam when he was the state chief minister.
The then Leader of Opposition Manohar Parrikar had cited the PAC report, which purportedly named Kamat as an accused in the scam.
Addressing a press conference here, the Leader of Opposition said he had asked the State Mines and Geology Department to provide a copy of the PAC report to him, but the Under Secretary (legislature) gave in writing that no such report of the PAC exists as even a draft report on the issue was not adopted by the state assembly.
Kamat, who was Goa chief minister between 2007 and 2012, is contesting the February 14 state assembly election from his traditional constituency of Margao in South Goa district as a Congress candidate.
Kamat said the BJP cited a non-existing report in 2012 to gain power in the state.
“The BJP has been often quoting the PAC report, which does not even exist,” he claimed.
“The BJP falsely accused me of being involved in the scam. Just to take revenge on Congress, BJP closed the entire mining industry and people had to suffer,” he alleged.
But if Congress returns to power in the state, our government will investigate the entire fraud and bring it before the public, Kamat said.
A complaint had been filed by the Mines and Geology Department in July 2013 seeking to fix criminal liability on those involved in the illegal mining as pointed out by various committees, including the Centre-appointed Shah Commission.
The crime branch had registered an FIR in August 2013 against those named in various reports (Shah Commission and other committees) including Kamat, some officials, mining firms and others.
