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IT documents detailing kickbacks received by Babush sent to Oscar

nishadhatle@gmail.com (Nishad) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 07:21:46 +0000

TEAM HERALD GOA NEWS

PANJIM: In what could be a major development, the AICC General Secretary Oscar Fernandes has called for and received all documents pertaining to the I-T expose on the Congress candidate from St Cruz Babush Monserrate, having received kickbacks for land conversion in the scrapped Regional Plan 2011.

The issue, consistently highlighted by Herald, was suddenly brought into sharp focus by a delegation of the Village Groups of Goa on Wednesday as they waited for a pre-arranged audience with Fernandes to discuss the huge anomalies in the notified RP 2021. The group by chance found itself with the rest of the media during the press conference addressed by Oscar Fernandes. A member of the Village Groups, seized the opportunity and asked how could a party allot a ticket to someone, its minister, who has been found to have received bribes for land conversions in the Regional Plan of 2011, with some of those conversions maintained in the notified Regional Plan?

Fernandes was initially taken aback and with no knowledge of the subject said that if the I-T Department has slapped fines, they would be paid. At that time, some people rushed to him to point out that the questioner wasn’t a reporter. At this juncture the Press said that it was an important question and they wanted an answer. Oscar then mumbled that he would study the matter. However, the Village Groups raised the issue again when they met him later and explained the seriousness of the issue. On Thursday, the entire Income Tax assessment order of N Suryanarayana of 2007-08, where his entire money trail of bribes to Monserrate’s companies and those partly owned by his son has been detailed.

When Fernandes realised that this wasn’t about tax dues but actual bribes, recorded by I-T, he asked for the I-T assessment order which was finally sent to him in Bangalore where he is now. When contacted an AICC source in the know said “The High Command will study it at the highest level”.

It is reliably learnt that Oscar Fernandes, will study and take it up with the AICC before the last date of withdrawal of nominations on February 13, to see if a rethink is needed on Monserrate’s candidature.

Kawthankar files petition seeking direction to police to register cheating case against Churchill.

nishadhatle@gmail.com (Nishad) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 07:18:30 +0000

TEAM HERALD GOA NEWS

PANJIM: As the Panjim town police station failed to take cognizance of a criminal case against Public Works Department (PWD) Minister Churchill Alemao, the complainant Thursday moved the Court seeking direction to the police to register the case.

Vice President of National Student Union of India (NSUI) Goa Unit Sunil Kawthankar has accused the Congress legislator for cheating the State exchequer of a whooping Rs 300 crores.

class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">In his complaint before the Panjim police station on February 3, the complainant Kawthankar alleged that Alemao illegally awarded 258 tenders in works division of XXV (Roads) alone.

The complainant also accused PWD Executive Engineer P T Parker for violating crucial guidelines and Chief Vigilance Officer and Chief Secretary Sanjay Srivastava for shielding them.

Since no action was taken within the given time frame, Kawthankar Thursday filed a petition before Special Judge seeking direction to police to register an FIR and investigate the case.

Mummy and Rudolph hit back at the Congress party for being denied a ticket.

nishadhatle@gmail.com (Nishad) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 07:17:09 +0000

TEAM HERALD GOA NEWS

PANJIM: Irked with the party, on being denied a ticket for the forthcoming Assembly elections, St Cruz MLA Victoria Fernandes on Thursday said that the people of Goa will teach Congress a lesson.

“The whole of Goa and India now knows the way the Congress has treated its only woman MLA and they will have to pay for it. The people of Goa will teach them a lesson,” she told reporters after her son Rudolf Fernandes resigned from Congress and filed his nomination as an independent.

Victoria or Mummy, as she is commonly known, also took a dig at Taleigao legislator Atanasio Babush Monserrate, who she said has backstabbed her.

“This person is spending money like anything in St Cruz. Where does this money come from? This is all the advance money taken from the builders lobby for illegal land conversion in the RP 2021,” she alleged.

“It is good in one way Babush has decided to contest in St Cruz as he will be finished this time,” she predicted.

Rudolf said, “Mummy was denied ticket only because she stood by the people who were opposing the RP 2021. Otherwise the ticket would have come to the door.”

“We are not like others who will see Goa and Goans being sold to outsiders,” he said adding “there are 1,00,000 more people awaiting to migrate to our constituency as there are 50,000 more flats upcoming.”

Rudolf further asked how Goa would sustain itself amidst such large scale migration?

“As it is we are facing scarcity of water and other basic needs,” he pointed out.

TMC uses strength of 7 union ministers to draw candidates

nishadhatle@gmail.com (Nishad) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 07:15:51 +0000

Team Herald Goa News

The Trinammol Congress Party (TMC), which was unknown to many in Goa, has suddenly come to limelight and is attracting the Congress defectors into the party solely due to its strength at the Centre.

The TMC has one cabinet minister and 6 Minister of states in the UPA government, they are – Dinesh Trivedi (Railways minister), Sultan Ahmed (Mos Tourism), Mukul Roy (MoS, Shipping), Sudip Bandopadhyay (MoS, health & Family welfare), Chowdhury Mohan Jatua (MoS, I&B), Saugata Roy (MoS, Urban Development) and Shishir Adhikary (MoS, Rural development).

It is the party’s power at the centre which is attracting more defectors from the Congress, who have been denied tickets rather than anything else.

Sources say, the TMC has promised funds for tourism in Mandrem, Rail head in Pernem and jobs in central government institutions in Goa.

On Thursday, the TMC announced three more candidates – Samir Salgaocar (Mandrem), Bandu Desai (Valpoi) and Pandurang Raut (Bicholim).

Party general secretary and MoS in UPA Mukul Roy, addressing a press conference said that several of the TMC national leaders would be in Goa for campaigning including leader Mamta Banerjee.

Roy admitted the party had delayed coming to Goa but felt the time is sufficient for them to make an impact.

“We will give an option to the Goan voters between the corruption and communalism,” he said adding “And we expect Goans to support us as all know the style of transparent functioning of our leader Mamta Banerjee.”

Roy said his party will struggle to give a transparency in functioning, more employment and corruption free government if elected to power.

The TMC has already named 18 candidates and with the three names announced today the tally is come to 21.

The party, headed by Dr Wilfred D’Souza in Goa, plans to field 35 candidates for the March 3 polls.

Accompanied by Shripad, Parrikar files nomination papers

nishadhatle@gmail.com (Nishad) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 07:14:06 +0000

PANAJI: Laying to rest any rift in the party, the Bharatiya Janata Party candidate for Panaji constituency, Mr Manohar Parrikar accompanied by Mr Shripad Naik filed his nomination papers for the forthcoming assembly election from the city, on Thursday morning.

Accompanied by the North Goa MP, Mr Shripad Naik, the former chief minister visited the Mahalaxmi temple in the city, and then proceeded to file his nomination papers. Later, he visited the Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, and then inaugurated his city office.
Speaking to the pressmen, Mr Parrikar said, “It is necessary that the BJP comes to power in Goa for the progress and development of the state as well as its future.” I appeal to all Goans to bring BJP to power with total majority, for this purpose, he added.
Speaking about the BJP-Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party alliance, Mr Parrikar said that the alliance was the desire of the Goan voters. “We too felt that the BJP-MGP alliance would be necessary for preventing any division of votes,” he noted.

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Fatorda’s Arthur D’Silva, wife worth Rs 8.17 cr; CM Rs 6.21 cr

nishadhatle@gmail.com (Nishad) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 07:12:49 +0000

MARGAO: The Chief Minister, Mr Digambar Kamat on Thursday filed his nomination for Margao constituency as Congress candidate and in his affidavit he declared Rs6.21 crore of total assets jointly under him and his wife Ms Asha Kamat. Surprisingly, Mr Churchill Alemao-backed independent candidate, Mr Arthur D’Silva, a senior secondary pass 48-year-old, has declared assets worth `5.76 crore and an additional asset of `2.41 crore in his wife Ms Benadette D’Silva’s name thereby amounting to
`8.17 crore.
Mr D’Silva’s assets include his `55 lakh worth Mercedes Benz and multiple shops in Borda and Fatorda besides land in Malbhat and Raia. Surprisingly Mr D’Silva has liabilities amounting to `3.71 crore including a `2.29 crore liability, listed as other liabilities’. The core of Mr D’Silva’s assets comes from trucks and heavy vehicles owned by him for his road contractor business besides an additional
`39 lakh listed under his daughters Ms Aavica and Ms Aatasia’s names.
Mr Digambar Kamat, who has declared assets - movable and immovable - worth `6.21 crore, said that the assets are jointly owned by him and his wife by the virtue of Portuguese civil code. He claimed that he has zero liabilities. Mr Kamat’s assets have doubled in the last five years as during the last assembly election, his affidavit had disclosed assets of `3.23 core including that of his spouse.
Mr Kamat, a bachelor in science however has no criminal record. According to the affidavit, the true value of his movable assets is `2,18,43 369 whereas `3,00,11,660 is the value of immovable property. The assets owned by Ms Asha Kamat are worth `1,02,99,841. The Chief Minister has properties and flats at Agonda, Gogol, Taleigao, Aquem and Margao.
Mr Kamat has claimed that he has
`25,000 cash in hand as per the affidavit filed by him. He and his wife have bank accounts in eleven banks including few national banks. They have 13 fixed deposits in the banks, besides mutual funds, shares and insurance policies. CM has three insurance polices worth `3 lakh total. Mr Kamat has one Hyundai car and gold worth of `3.50 lakh. He paid `16 lakh tax for the year 2010-11.
To follow suit was Curtorim MLA, Mr Reginaldo Lourenco who declared assets worth
`66.57 lakh. Most of Mr Lourenco’s assets come from his ancestral and agricultural property within Curtorim constituency. Way back in 2007, Mr Lourenco is believed to have sold three plots of land to garner funds to contest polls. Mr Lourenco in his 2012 affidavit declared an additional `50.16 lakh in assets in the name of his wife Ms Francesca Lourenco in agricultural land, bank deposits and gold. Total assets declared by Mr Lourenco stand at `1.17 crore.
“Declaring assets and filing nominations is just one part of being clean but performance alone will count these elections. I plan to go to polls without boasting of what I have done but how I will double my performance as an MLA,” asserted Mr Lourenco, a diploma in construction. He had made history by defeating six-term Curtorim MLA and former chief minister, Mr Francisco Sardinha.
Road contractor and former chairperson of Margao Municipal Council, Ms Piedade Noronha also declared `5.38 crore worth assets in her name alone. Ms Noronha, a Trinamool Congress candidate for Fatorda in 2012, declared a meager `12.4 lakh on her husband Mr Luis Silva’s name besides a `36 lakh liability in the form of loans against her name.
Two-term Fatorda MLA and face of the BJP in South Goa, Mr Damodar alias Damu Naik declared assets worth `1.18 crore in the form of vehicles, shops and flats. His wife declared `56.38 lakh worth of assets mostly comprising of gold. Mr Naik declared liabilities worth `47 lakh including government dues of `32.3 lakh taken as a housing loan.
Mr Rajan Naik, the BJP candidate from Cuncolim, has declared assets worth `1.37 crore besides `59 lakh in his wife’s name. Surprisingly Mr Naik, an owner of Prakash Transports that deals with buses, has not listed any motor vehicles in his assets or vehicle loan liabilities.
Going by the Form 26 election affidavit, none of the Cuncolim, Curtorim and Fatorda candidates who filled nominations on February 9 have any kind of criminal record.

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Chaos in Congress to further delay final list of candidates

nishadhatle@gmail.com (Nishad) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 07:09:17 +0000

PANAJI: The war for winning over the nomination of the Congress party for remaining four seats has heated up with some state level leaders of the party seeking to get the party tickets for their friends, which could further delay the announcement of final Congress list.

According to top placed sources in the party the Chief Minister, Mr Digambar Kamat, is pressing for the Congress ticket to Mr Vijai Pai Khot, from Canacona and the move was being opposed by the Education Minister, Mr Atanasio Monserrate, who is lobbying hard in favour of his friend, Mr Isidore Fernandes.
Similarly, serious efforts were on by some Congress leaders to nominate a Muslim candidate from either Mormugao or Sanvordem so as to accommodate Mr Vijai Sardessai from Fatorda. A Muslim leader was sent to Delhi for talks by some state leaders so that they could grab the Fatorda and Mormugao seats, the sources informed.
The move, however, was being opposed by several senior Congress leaders who feel that any decision to deny party ticket to Mr Sankalp Amonkar, a former Youth Congress president, could send wrong signals to youth who may take this as anti-youth stand of the party.
The Congress sources said that the party leadership had promised to nominate at least four youth leaders, in keeping with the wishes of AICC general secretary in-charge of Youth Congress, Mr Rahul Gandhi, but it appears as if some leaders want to not only marginalise the youth Congress leaders but also deny them any nomination.
The sources said that there was a move to nominate a Muslim from Sanvordem but the party has not been able to find any of its leaders worth name for the purpose. Besides, there was also a feeling in the party circles that such a move would send wrong message to Muslims that the party was providing only lip service.

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March 3 polls strictest in Goa’s history, says RO

nishadhatle@gmail.com (Nishad) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 07:08:00 +0000

PANAJI: A warning has gone out to all those contesting the forthcoming assembly elections, as the Election Commission has left no stone unturned with regard to the candidates strictly following the model code of conduct.

Till date, four contestants have filed a set of forms with the Returning Officer (RO), in the Panaji Collectorate. They are Mr Dominick Fernandes of Janata Dal (U), Mr Manohar Parrikar (BJP), Mr Yatin Parikh (INC) and Mr Christopher Fonseka (CPI). Each contestant is entitled to file four sets.
The Election Commission has come down heavily on the campaigners in this election and will not tolerate any violation. “This will be the most stringent and strict election ever in the history of elections in Goa,” said Panaji Returning Officer, Mr Agnelo A Fernandes, who has been issued with a model checklist.
“We are keeping a tab on the flow of money, gifts and liquor. We will not tolerate any nonsense or allow violation of any kind breaching the model code of conduct. The election must be free and fair,” he said while speaking to this newspaper.
The scrutiny of all the contestants’ forms will start from February 14 at 11 am onwards. Mr Fernandes said that prior to the filing of nominations, all the contestants were given an expenditure register to be maintained in a new separate account opened with the bank of their choice. “All election transactions will be done through the accounts specifically opened for election purpose,” Mr Fernandes said and added that the accounts will be monitored.
Mr Fernandes stated that his teams are in place to uphold the model code of conduct. The teams include observer team, video viewing team with videographers, team monitoring expenditure, flying squad and sector officers.
Mr Fernandes said that the Returning Officer would be monitored by the General Observer and the Expenditure Observer.
He further said that if any violation is observed, the people of Panaji can contact flying squad head Mr Nitin Bhakle or the flying squad expenditure monitoring head Mr Revinkar. Both teams are attached to a PSI along with a videographer. Strict action that could lead to disqualification of candidate could be taken in case of any violation, said Mr Fernandes.
He said the maximum expenditure for each candidate is Rs 8 lakh and added that in case of any violation, the people could also contact the expenditure monitoring head, Mr Gyan Prakash and sector officers, Mr S M Bykod and Mr Ashok V Parab. The contestants must carefully read the instructions given in the EC guidelines and follow them in letter and spirit, said Mr Fernandes.

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Shripad is BJP’s poll campaign chief

nishadhatle@gmail.com (Nishad) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 07:06:41 +0000

PANAJI: Signifying that all is well in the state unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the president of the local unit of the party, Mr Laxmikant Parsekar on Thursday appointed the North Goa MP, Mr Shripad Naik as the party’s chief for the election campaign to the forthcoming assembly election. The BJP has also chosen Valentine’s Day, a day dedicated to love, for starting its poll campaign.
Addressing a press conference attended by Mr Naik as well as the senior state party leader, Mr Manohar Parrikar, Mr Parsekar said that a joint public meeting of the BJP-MGP would be held in Ponda on February 12. “Furthermore, the BJP will flag off its own election campaign from February 14, while party’s manifesto will be released by party’s national leader, Mr Ravi Shankar Prasad on February 19,” he stated, informing that the common minimum programme of the BJP-MGP would also be released.
The BJP has announced its second list of candidates, which include Mr Manohar Shirodkar (Bicholim), Mr Kiran Kandolkar (Tivim), Mr Rupesh Mahatme (Margao), Mr Nilesh Cabral (Curchorem), Mr Ganesh Gaonkar (Sanvordem) and Mr Subhash Phaldesai (Sanguem).
Mr Parsekar said that the third and final list of the BJP candidates would be out soon. “We are currently studying the prospects of supporting independent candidates in Navelim, Curtorim and Velim,” he said.
Discussing the election campaign of the BJP, the state party chief said that the leaders of the opposition in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, Ms Sushma Swaraj and Ms Arun Jaitley, respectively, as well as others including Mr Nitin Gadkari, Mr Rajnath Singh, Mr Gopinath Munde, Hema Malini, Navjyot Singh Siddhu, and Smruti Irani will be the star campaigners for BJP in Goa.
Speaking further, Mr Parsekar said that the BJP will use the issue of family politics against Congress, during its electoral campaign. “We will also impress upon people that the BJP is a party with a difference as neither has it given tickets to family members, nor has any of its leaders asked the party for candidatures to their relatives,” he mentioned.
Mr Parrikar, speaking on the occasion said that the only development the Congress party visualises is development of the families - Monserrate, Madkaikar, Rane, Naik and Alemao - and the time has come for the voters to discard all these families through the electronic voting machine. “The Congress party is bringing alive the Feudal Lord Syndrome through such candidatures,” he noted, maintaining that the party should be defeated for the same reason.
Mr Parrikar, replying to a question as regards giving candidature for Sanguem constituency to Mr Subhash Phaldesai, instead of the sitting MLA, Mr Vasu Gaonkar, said that though Mr Gaonkar had high integrity and clean character, he is suffering from anti-incumbency factor and hence was denied the ticket. It was also told that Mr Gaonkar could be given higher party post in the future.
Answering another question, Mr Parrikar said that though two candidates from the MGP, an alliance partner of the BJP - Dhavalikar brothers - are from the same family, they are both sitting MLAs. “We would not have taken objection to the decision of the Congress party to give tickets to family members, had the party limited its ticket distribution to such sitting MLAs,” he said, stating that the Congress, however, has increased the number of such family candidates, this time.
Mr Parrikar also questioned as to how could any chief minister, function under MLAs from various families, if at all they manage to come to power. “The people should think twice before voting for such family members if they want the state to progress and develop under the new government coming to power,” he noted.

Story Summary:

BJP’s state unit president, Mr Laxmikant Parsekar addressing the press along with senior party leader, Mr Manohar Parrikar, North Goa MP and party leader, Mr Shripad Naik and the state vice-president of the party, Dr Wilfred Mesquita, in Panaji on Thursday. (Nandesh Kambli)

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Send Congress 'six-family Raj' home, says Parrikar

nishadhatle@gmail.com (Nishad) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 07:04:33 +0000

PANAJI: The fact that the Congress has restricted its agenda for development to the development of six Congress families in Goa is the single reason why voters should send the Congress home and re-elect the BJP to power, opposition leader Manohar Parrikar said on Thursday.

Parrikar, who filed his nomination papers earlier in the morning, addressed a press conference along with BJP North Goa MP Shripad Naik and BJP state president Laxmikant Parsekar at the BJP office.

'MMAARR' is the acronym Parrikar coined to denote the 'Congress family Raj' of Monserrate-Madkaikar-Alemao (Churchill)-Alemao (Joaquim)-Rane-Ravi (Naik). The opposition leader said, "This is important. As Goa celebrates the golden jubilee of its liberation, will Goa be put under slavery to six Congress families?"

Parrikar said the Congress wanted more families in to loot Goa. "Six families, 12 seats; technically, all are winnable seats. This time they have given 12, next time will it be 18? Churchill's family has 23 members. How can you guarantee next time Churchill will not come with a football team?" Parrikar said.

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