The allegations of Former AG against the Chief Minister Pramod Sawant have reached to the level of the accusation of Witch-Hunting of Parrikar’s family and his close Aides. The Chief Minister Mr. Pramod Sawant has become a villain who is allegedly targeting the particular section of society that was associated with late CM Manohar Parrikar.
According to the reports, the Additional Solicitor General of India Atmaram Nadkarni has accused Goa CM Pramod Sawant of carrying out a witch-hunt against the family members and aides of former Goa CM Manohar Parrikar.
Nadkarni, a former state Advocate General and one of Manohar Parrikar’s closest aides, also accused Sawant of operating through a coterie, while slamming governance and public delivery systems during the latter’s reign.
In an interview to a news channel, Nadkarni said, “Whether its lawyers or any other professional. For example Parrikar’s son, his father in law Dr Mahesh Sardessai he is a good doctor. There is not even a replacement for him there. He has been terminated. So, you go out and see what the people are talking. Forget about me”.
Sardessai in the past was granted repeated extensions in service at the government-run Goa Medical College. His services were terminated soon after Sawant assumed charge.
The Additional Solicitor General’s comments come at a time, when Sawant, a Maratha, has been accused by the leaders of the influential Gaud Saraswat Brahmin subgroup (to which Parrikar belonged) of striking against officials and politicians considered close to Parrikar.
Several bureaucrats considered close to Parrikar have been transferred in the few months that Sawant has been in power. Politicians and other members of the GSB caste group have also been dismissed from appointments to government-run corporations. BJP state president Vinay Tendulkar, however, denied any such dismissal.
Manohar Parrikar passed away in the month of March this year, following prolonged illness and was replaced by Sawant on the same day.
Incidentally soon after Sawant became CM of Goa, his government stripped Nadkarni of all his legal briefs related to Goa in the Supreme Court.
While Nadkarni as the Additional Solicitor General, currently holds brief for the Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra governments and Andaman and Nicobar, he said that he would never again appear for the Goa Government or any of its departments. Nadkarni added that the removal of his briefs by the government indicated that “someone” was upset with him or Parrikar.
Nadkarni also said that whispers in the ruling BJP camp that Parrikar had left State administration in the hands of a coterie were incorrect and instead, raised questions about Sawant’s style of governance.
Nadkarni also pointed out that a coterie could have been formed after the death of Parrikar. He further added that Parrikar had come up from the ranks, by contesting elections and not assumed charge overnight and maneuvering things, thus hitting out at Sawant.
The top lawyer who had served as Advocate General in successive Parrikar led governments in the past also said, that under Sawant’s leadership Goa had witnessed an unprecedented power and water supply crisis and the state’s economy was in the dumps.
“This Chief Minister is a new person. He has to perform and show. Today we have an electricity problem. I was here in Goa for two days, lights are flickering, and we did not have water for about 10 days. These things were never heard of before”, he said.
He also slammed the Sawant led administration for alleged financial mismanagement, which he claimed, had forced the state administration to borrow Rs 300 crore in three months to tide over government spending.
Source: India Today | Prudent Media
