Tag: Vishwajit Rane

Declare MHADEI Wildlife Sanctuary as Tiger Reserve in 3 Months, Bombay HC Orders Goa Govt

Despite Union government’s orders, the Goa government has remained opposed to it, citing conflicting interests between forest dwellers and advocates of conservation. Conservation experts allege that the move may restrict the Goa government’s aim to open up forest resources for commercial use.

New Delhi: In a judgment last week, Bombay high court Justices M.S. Sonak and Bharat Deshpande directed the Goa government to declare MHADEI wildlife sanctuary in Goa as a tiger reserve within three months. While striking down the BJP-led Goa government’s plea to postpone the matter, Justices Sonak and Deshpande set the matter straight. 

“In the universe, man and animals are equally placed, but human rights approach to environmental protection in case of conflict, is often based on anthropocentricity. Man-animal conflict often results not because animals encroach human territories but vice versa…This Court cannot blink at the reality that often at the State level, regional, parochial, anthropomorphic, and times, even narrow political considerations would prevail over the more significant national interests involved in conserving and protecting the tiger and the tiger habitat,” the division bench comprising Justices Sonak and Deshpande observed, in what may be the most striking comment in recent times in the development versus conservation debate across the globe. 

The plea to convert the MHADEI wildlife sanctuary into a tiger reserve was moved by the Goa Foundation, a non-profit environment rights advocacy organisation. Lawbeat reported that the union government and the National Tiger Conservation Authority since 2011 had been making several requests to the Goa government to notify the Mhadei wildlife sanctuary and some contiguous forest areas as tiger reserve. But the Goa government remained opposed to it, citing conflicting interests between forest dwellers and advocates of conservation. However, conservation experts have alleged that the declaration of the wildlife sanctuary into a tiger reserve may restrict the Goa government’s aim to open up forest resources for commercial use.

The matter came to a head when in January 2020 a tigress and three cubs died due to some poisoning in the sanctuary. The Goa Foundation, citing government inaction, moved the high court thereafter. The matter was being heard at the Goa Bench of the Bombay high court since then. 

In directing the Goa government to declare the sanctuary as a tiger reserve, the bench observed, “The tiger is a unique animal which plays a pivotal role in the health and diversity of an ecosystem. It is a top predator at the apex of the food chain. Therefore, the presence of tigers in the forest is an indicator of the well-being of the ecosystem. Protection of tigers in forests protects the habitats of several other species. Indirect benefits of preserving a tiger include several ecosystem services like protection of rivers and other water sources, prevention of soil erosion and improvement of ecological services like pollination, water table retention, etc. Conversely, the absence of this top predator indicates that its ecosystem is not sufficiently protected.”

The Goa Foundation’s counsel cited many references in which the Goa government refused to respond to repeated requests by the Union government and the National Tiger Conservation Authority, alleging inaction and failure to stick to its statutory duty on its part. The Goa government, on the other hand, claimed that it had at no point refused to send a proposal to the Union government about converting the sanctuary into a tiger reserve or notify is as one but added that the time wasn’t right for sanctuary to be declared as a tiger reserve as some issues regarding forest dwellers needed to be settled first. Moreover, the Goa government cited the recommendations of Goa’s state board for wildlife which had recently rejected the idea of setting up a tiger reserve in the MHADEI wildlife sanctuary, arguing that such a decision would be “premature” and “not feasible”. Even the chief minister Pramod Sawant said that the Wildlife Act and the NTCA’s guidelines were not fit to be implemented in a small state like Goa.  

However, repeated delays in responding to central notices and unclear positions led the high court to rule against the Goa government.

State’s forest minister Vishwajit Rane said that the state government will move the Supreme Court to vacate the order. “After examining the HC order, we shall explore all options before approaching the Supreme Court to have this order vacated. We respect the decision taken by the HC, but as a State Government, we will stand by the decision taken by the State Wildlife Board,” Rane tweeted. 

In Goa, 7 Powerful Families Are Contesting 35% of the Assembly Seats

Parties including Bharatiya Janata Party, Trinamool Congress and Congress, have given tickets to multiple members of the same family. 

Members of seven families are candidates in 35% of Goa’s assembly seats – in 14 out of a total 40. Parties including Bharatiya Janata Party, Trinamool Congress and Congress, have given tickets to multiple members of the same family.

BJP, which often claims to be against dynastic politics and purportedly has a “one family, one ticket” policy, has nominated four candidates from two families in Goa.

BJP has given Goa’s current health minister Vishwajit Rane a ticket from Valpoi and also fielded his wife Deviya Rane from the adjoining Poriem constituency.

In last one month, Poriem in North Goa became a talking point after Congress declared Deviya’s father-in-law – the state’s longest serving chief minister and 11-time MLA from the constituency – Pratapsingh Rane as candidate for the 2022 assembly election.

Soon after Congress announced Pratapsingh’s candidature, his son Vishwajit told reporters, “I will be contesting from Poriem constituency for BJP. My father is 82 years old and it is not an age to promote oneself. Why does he have to continue in politics? A person who is my idol and someone I have so much respect for, that person should gracefully retire. It will be a very messy situation.”

The saffron party ultimately fielded Deviya and just a day before the last date for filing nomination papers, on January 27, Pratapsingh withdrew from the fray. He had been representing the seat since 1972 and had been steady in declaring that he would contest from the seat right until he bowed out.

Interestingly, just two days before the poll dates were announced by the Election Commission of India (ECI), the BJP government in Goa conferred lifelong cabinet status on the Congress stalwart.


BJP has nominated revenue and information technology minister Jennifer Monserrate from Taleigao constituency. Her husband Atanasio Monserrate, popularly known as Babush, is the BJP candidate from Panjim constituency.

However, while the saffron party gave a ticket to Goa’s deputy chief minister Chandrakant Babu Kavlekar, it denied a ticket to his wife Savitri.

Soon after the announcement of the BJP candidate list, Savitri resigned as the vice-president of the Mahila Morcha (women’s wing) of Goa BJP and will contest as an independent candidate from the constituency.

After Savitri was denied a ticket by the saffron party, she held a press conference and said, “The BJP has denied me a ticket despite assurances. It has double standards as it has allotted tickets to other husband-wife duos in Taleigao and Poreim. I feel betrayed.”

BJP has remained silent and does not appear to have taken action against Chandrakant for Savitri’s presser.

Speaking to this reporter in December, BJP candidate from Sanguem, Subhash Phal Dessai, had said, “Chandrakant’s wife, Savitri is looking for a ticket from this constituency, but the state leadership has assured me that I will get the nomination. Party leadership has chosen me for two reasons, I am a local leader who has been working in the constituency despite losing the 2017 election, and I am BJP’s winning candidate while Savitri is not.”

TMC

Trinamool Congress, which created a lot of buzz since it decided to contest the polls in Goa, gave tickets to four candidates from two families. After the veteran politician and former Nationalist Congress Party MLA Churchill Alemao switched over to TMC, the party nominated him from the Beaulim constituency. It has also nominated his daughter Valanka Alemao from the neighbouring Navelim constituency.

Also read: Goa Elections: With First List, TMC Plays ‘Revenge Politics’, Targets Congress, GFP

Recently in a television interview, when asked about the issue of dynastic politics, Churchill said, “Why are you asking about politicians? Why not ask doctors and engineers [whose children take up the same professions as their parents]?”

Likewise, TMC inducted former Thivim MLA Kiran Kandolkar, who was with Goa Forward Party, and fielded him from Aldona constituency. The party has nominated his wife Kavita from the Thivim seat.

The TMC has decided to join hands with Goa’s oldest party, the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party for the upcoming assembly polls. Sudin Dhavalikar is a five-time MLA from the MGP’s bastion, Marcaim. He will be contesting from the same seat. Meanwhile, MGP president and Sudin’s younger brother Deepak Dhavalikar will contest from Priol constituency in North Goa.

Congress

While Congress took a stand that it will not nominate more than one member from a family, the policy was overlooked after BJP MLA and minister Michale Lobo joined the party. On January 12, Michale, along with his wife Delilah, joined Congress.

The grand old party eventually fielded Michale from his home turf Calangute and nominated Delilah from the adjoining Siolim constituency. Lobo’s close aide, Kedar Naik also got a Congress nomination from neighbouring Saligao constituency.

Candidates family members appear to contest from constituencies adjacent to their relatives. This gives these powerful families a unique advantage to extend their political clout beyond their own respective constituencies.

Noted advocate and political analyst from the state, Cleofato Coutinho tells The Wire, “Earlier we had constituency strongmen, now they have extended their hold to the taluka-level. With fewer electors per constituency, these strongmen leaders have been easily manipulating floating voters with their money and muscle power. Parties ought to have taken a firm stand on dynastic politics as it has serious democratic repercussions. People like Babush and Vishwajit have no moral, ideological or democratic standpoint. In case of a hung assembly, the value of these ‘family lawmakers’ increases exponentially.”

The trend of nominating multiple members from a powerful family dates back to 1960s, when Goa’s first chief minister and founder of MGP Bhausaheb Bandodkar brought his daughter Shashikala Kakodkar into active politics. Shashikala later became Goa’s second chief minister.

In 2017, Congress nominated two members each from the Rane, Monserrate and Kavlekar families. The Ranes and Monserrates got tickets in North Goa, and the Kavlekars in South Goa.

Veteran Goa journalist and author, Sandesh Prabhudesai in his book Ajeeb Goa’s Gajab Politics writes, “With the advent of the 21st century began the era of Family Raj politics. The trend of Family Raj in politics coincides with the increasing trend of converting agricultural land into settlement and selling it to land sharks.”

Speaking to The Wire, Prabhudesai said this phenomena progresses across the party lines thanks to business interest and especially, the politics of land. “All are involved in land dealings. The wealth is shared; ministry portfolios or lucrative positions are shared and it also becomes convenient to defect,” he added.

Goa: 47 COVID Patients Dead in 48 Hours Due to Oxygen Shortfall at Medical College

When 26 patients died on Tuesday, chief minister Pramod Sawant said oxygen was abundantly available and the problem of supply would be fixed within a day. On Wednesday, 21 more patients succumbed.

Panaji: Forty-seven COVID-19 patients have died in the government-run Goa Medical College (GMC) due to “interrupted oxygen supply” in the past 48 hours, in what can only be described as criminal negligence on the part of the BJP government in Goa and the bureaucrats assigned to monitor the crisis.

Twenty-six lives were lost because of the oxygen shortfall in the early hours of Tuesday, May 11. Another 21 have died on Wednesday from inadequate oxygen supply, highly placed government sources told The Wire.

An internal note from the hospital to the government, accessed by The Wire, put the sobering picture in focus with this scathing assessment: “Causes of deaths at GMC—interrupted oxygen supply.” The hospital requires 1,200 cylinders a day, but had received only 400 on May 10, it said.

Also Read: With Goa Toll, Hospital Oxygen Shortage Has Taken Lives of at Least 223 COVID Patients in India

The hospital also noted the scores of calls it had made to both the oxygen supplier and the Chief Minister’s Office when oxygen levels began to drop in the early hours between 2 am and 6 am on Tuesday. This was when most of the oxygen-related deaths occurred.

Goa’s unending spiral of COVID-19 misery – 3,124 new cases and 75 deaths (the highest so far) were reported on Tuesday – is clearly being exacerbated by both a failure in leadership and bureaucratic complacency.

Power tussle between Sawant and Rane

The power tussle between chief minister Pramod Sawant and health minister Vishwajit Rane – currently at its fiercest in the worst stage of the pandemic – has only made matters worse, showing the government has neither a plan nor the leadership to bring the situation under control.

On April 21, Sawant appointed a three-member team of nodal officers to oversee the “management of COVID-19 in government hospitals”. This was apparently to counter Rane’s influence over the medical officials in the frontline. Drawn from a group of IAS officers, none with experience of local ground realities, the nodal group was put in charge of management of beds and drugs, oxygen supply and helpline in the government hospitals.

This reporter asked Swetika Sanchan, the officer in charge of “allocation and management of oxygen supply”, why she did not respond when social media was filled with distress messages and the Goa Association of Resident Doctors had long since red-flagged the oxygen crisis.

Sanchan said she hadn’t been to work for three days because she was self-isolating. “My daughter has tested positive, and her life matters to me,” she said.

What about the lives of those who died of oxygen shortage at GMC?

“This is an unprecedented situation,” Sanchan pleaded, highlighting the point that she is the junior-most officer in the government and her senior Kunal Jha, would be better placed to field questions. Jha did not respond to several calls and messages from The Wire, neither did health secretary Ravi Dhavan.

This might seem like petty quibbling in the current scenario, but it points to the level of indifference that has crept into a government run by a wishy-washy chief minister.

“The chief minister is now at the forefront of the COVID-19 fight. For the past two weeks, he’s been monitoring everything himself,” Sawant’s PRO Gauresh Kalangutkar said. As if to affirm this, shadowed by a photographer, Sawant turned up at GMC on Tuesday morning after the deaths due to oxygen shortage. “I’m probably the first chief minister in the country to visit a COVID-19 ward,” he boasted in a hospital where 48 people (including the 26 who died gasping for oxygen) had died hours before his visit.

“We have 100% oxygen. The problem is getting cylinders to the patients on time,” the Goa CM said, assuring worried relatives that “the problem will be resolved in a day” after his meeting with heads of departments on Tuesday.

21 more deaths on Wednesday

Twenty-one more people have died on Wednesday from oxygen disruptions since the chief minister’s public assurance.

“There should be a high court monitored inquiry to find out why so many are dying in GMC from interrupted supply of oxygen,” said Rane, who’s been completely sidelined by Sawant and his coterie, on Tuesday. The high court of Bombay at Goa is currently hearing a clutch of public interest petitions on the government’s mishandling of the pandemic.

Not Sawant alone, but Rane as well must bear the culpability for so many oxygen-related deaths in Goa, a leading physician said. “To allow the system to lapse to this level is not just criminal negligence, but downright criminal. Who’ll be held responsible for these deaths that could have been so easily prevented?” the physician asked.

A reporter who has been at ground zero, tracking every angle of the unfolding medical crisis over several weeks, said she felt enraged that politicians in Goa were using the tragedy to score points and that the bureaucracy had behaved so callously. Like this was just another day at the office. “They’ve all got blood on their hands,” she said.

Devika Sequeira is an independent journalist based in Goa.

Goa’s Unlocked Restaurants Are Starved for Customers After 5-Month Break

Widespread fear in Goa as coronavirus cases spike leave it’s recently unlocked bars and restaurants virtually empty. Operators are hoping the government will do more to help a stricken industry.

On September 1, Goa allowed its restaurants and bars to open for dine-in customers after a five-month-long ban. Tables, however, despite rules for social distancing in place, remain largely empty as the state witnesses a steep spike in coronavirus infections.

Margarida Távora e Costa runs Goa’s most famous restaurant, Fernando’s Nostalgia in Raia, Salcette. Despite warnings from well-wishers to put off opening even though the ban has been lifted – due to the rising numbers of COVID-19 cases – she says she felt compelled to open the restaurant, because Nostalgia’s dedicated staff of 20 years have families to feed.

But business is nowhere near as usual. “Customers are just 25-30% of pre-COVID levels, though we have complied with the SOPS for hygiene and social distancing. But at least something is better than nothing. I don’t think we will reach pre-COVID levels of business this year,” says Margarida.

On September 1, Goa had 588 new infections and a cumulative 18,006 coronavirus cases. By September 24, it had a cumulative 30,552 cases —  a 70% increase in three weeks, with an average of 522 new cases a day. The numbers may seem low compared to other states, but Goa is India’s smallest state with an estimated population of just 18 lakh. Nearly 2% of the population has now contracted the virus.

Goa also has the highest number of cases per million population than any other state. Yet Goa is rolling out the red carpet to visitors as it’s tourism-led economy has all but collapsed due to the pandemic. After the centre’s Unlock 4 guidelines, there is no more health vetting of tourists entering Goa.

Also read: Goa: Backed by Local BJP MLAs, ‘Self-Lockdowns’ in Villages Draw Party Leadership’s Ire

“Right now, mostly tourists and some non-Goans settled here are coming to the restaurant, but not Goans. Goans are being extra cautious and also thrifty, spending only on prime necessities, as many have lost jobs, some are getting only 50% of their earlier salaries. Further, entire families are at home so they are not only cooking for themselves, many have also begun small culinary enterprises to make up for the lost income,” says Nostalgia’s Margarida.

Marius Fernandes does not plan to visit a restaurant till 2021. A beloved Goan famous as the state’s ‘festakar’ for the sheer number of traditional festivals he has revived, Marius has spent the entire lockdown on his home island of Divar, a safe place to avoid viruses of all kinds. He visited two popular restaurants in state capital Panjim in the second week of September.

“I had to maintain social-distancing norms so the restaurants were only catering to 50% of the usual customers, hence they were losing revenue. These enforced measures make the situation dismal and terrible for restaurant owners. I also noticed home delivery sales but that won’t be sustainable to run the business and cover their costs. Very few are venturing from their villages into Panjim. I myself ventured out of Divar only after six months because of an emergency, and possibly will not return until the new year,” said Marius.

It’s not just restaurant and bar owners who have been left with their incomes decimated. Omar de Loiola Pereira, one of Goa’s biggest names in music who also plays regular gigs in select restaurants, has had no work for the past six months. “Except for one paid online show in August, I have been out of work exactly six months since the lockdown. Now that restaurants have opened, we have restarted with the only regular gig we do on Sunday afternoons. Nothing else has restarted yet. Most of our bookings have actually been cancelled altogether.”

Many Goans are upset that tourists are being freely allowed to come to Goa while COVID-19 levels are spiking. At the same time, the economy needs to open up given that so many Goans have lost income. But the opening has been accompanied by anger among Goans at tourists ignoring safety norms. There is also anger at both staff and patrons in some restaurants, particularly in North Goa, going maskless. Anumitra Dastidar opened The Edible Archive restaurant in Assagao, Bardez just four months before the nationwide lockdown closed her business. “Yes, we’ve had to politely ask people to wear masks or stay in the outside courtyard of the restaurant,” says Anumitra.

Also read: In Tourist Haven Goa, Tourists and ‘Outsiders’ Are No Longer Welcome

“We do need to restart our decimated economy. And given that tourism is one of its biggest pillars, we need to restart tourism. However, this needs to be managed very carefully and maturely. Decisions that are short-sighted and ill-conceived could cost us dearly,” says Omar. “At the gigs, I’ve seen far less patrons than the normal capacity of the restaurant. But we too won’t go out to restaurants to eat just as yet, because we have elders and children who both fall within the vulnerable age brackets. Though you see some restaurants claiming they follow SOPs, it’s but an eyewash. I have passed by a few restaurants that are too crowded, no distancing, no sanitising between guests leaving a table and new guests sitting at it, staff not wearing masks, closed and badly ventilated places. etc. Our own economic situation does not give us the confidence to indulge in discretionary spending just yet,” adds Omar.

Trying to assuage the fear, on September 20, state health minister Vishwajit Rane inaugurated a ‘Covid store’ at Goa’s Dabolim airport, where passengers can purchase PPE kits, hand sanitisers, masks and gloves. Not that many tourists are racing to visit Goa. Tourism minister Manohar Ajgaonkar admitted that tourism would not pick up in the state till a COVID vaccine has been approved, noting that establishments which have opened are not doing well.

“While it’s important for Goa to have a functional tourist economy, I do think that there should be some measures and rules in place while COVID levels are on the rise, to make it safer for everyone involved, whether tourists or locals. We ourselves feel the need to take precautions while interacting with our customers. It would be much better if the government-mandated procedures like negative tests before travel and staggered hours for shops etc, so that the rate of the spread could be reduced overall, even while reopening,” says Anumitra.

Anumitra, however, sounds more optimistic about future prospects. “Because of the lockdown, we did have to drastically change our menu. This allowed us to embrace the seasonal nature of our food and thoroughly explore local ingredients, so we changed the menu for the monsoon season. We’re aiming to reopen in October for dine-in. We’ve been getting quite a few inquiries about dine-in, as well as delivery and caterings. I would say it is becoming comparable to pre-COVID levels, in the last month.”

Goa is tackling the same precarious balancing act that the whole world is facing. Open up for much needed economic activity, while keeping people safe from infection. So far, Goa’s is teetering on its balancing act.

Lesley A. Esteves is a journalist and editor based in Goa.

Goa: Tigress and Three Cubs Found Dead Over Four Days; Three Held

The Centre to constitute a two-member committee to ascertain the cause of their death.

Panaji: Carcasses of a tigress and her cub were recovered from Mahadayi Wildlife Sanctuary in Goa’s Sattari taluka on Wednesday, days after her two other cubs were found dead nearby, prompting the Centre to constitute a two-member committee to ascertain the cause of their death.

Soon after the fourth carcass was found on Wednesday, the Goa forest department arrested three men suspected of poisoning the tigress and her cubs, officials said.

“After the recovery of the carcass of the tigress, her cub was found dead within a one km radius during a combing operation. While one of her cubs was found dead on Sunday, the carcass of another cub was recovered on Tuesday,” the official added.

The carcasses were recovered in the forests of Golavali village in Sattari taluka.

The tigress and her three cubs were captured roaming in the area on the cameras set up by the forest department on December 23, 2019.

Goa forest department on Wednesday arrested three men for killing the four tigers in the Mahadayi wildlife sanctuary, minutes after the fourth carcass was found. The forest department arrested three men residing near the spot where the carcasses were recovered.

The trio – Vitho Zipo Pawne (60), Nalo Nago Pawne (55) and his younger brother Bombo Nago Pawne (45) – was arrested under the Wildlife Protection Act, a senior forest department official said.

The forest department prima facie suspects that the felines were poisoned in a “revenge killing” for preying on cattle in the village.

Meanwhile, the Union Ministry of Forest, Environment and Climate Change constituted a high-level committee to inquire into deaths of the tigers.

Deputy inspector general (forests) Nishant Verma in an office memorandum announced the formation of the committee to inquire into the deaths of the tigers. The two-member committee is headed by Rajendra Garawad, a senior official of the National Tiger Conservation Authority.

The committee will inquire into the cause of deaths and also investigate the response/action taken by the concerned state forest department authorities, the memorandum said.

The committee will also suggest the legal course of action as per provisions of Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and as mandated under Standard Operating Procedure of National Tiger Conservation Authority dealing with tiger death, it said.

According to forest department officials, a combing operation was launched in the Mahadayi forests to look for more carcasses.

Environmentalist Rajendra Kerkar, who has been camping near the site, lamented that the forest department did not have proper infrastructure to conduct a post-mortem to ascertain the cause of death.

Earlier in the day, state health minister Vishwajit Rane demanded an investigation by a central team into the deaths.

Rane, in whose assembly constituency the deaths were reported, tweeted, “With reference to the two cubs that have been found dead at Mahadayi wildlife Sanctuary, Sattari, I would request Union Minister for Forest Shri @PrakashJavdekar to intervene and send a central team to conduct a detailed investigation into the matter.”

Spectre of Rafale Deal Returns to Haunt Ailing Parrikar in Goa

“The audio clip released by the Congress is a desperate attempt to fabricate facts after their lies were exposed by the recent SC verdict on Rafale. No such discussion ever came up during any meeting,” an official statement from the Goa chief minister’s office said.

Panjim: The spectre of the Rafale controversy, raked up by a recorded conversation that features a Goa minister, couldn’t have come at a worse time for chief minister Manohar Parrikar whose media managers have tried to paint a picture of a leader still very much in command despite his terminal illness.

The Congress on Wednesday released an audio recording of a conversation in which  Goa’s health minister Vishwajit Rane, speaking to an unidentified person, is heard saying that Parrikar had made an “interesting statement on Rafale” in the cabinet meeting that took place at his residence some weeks ago.

Rane can be heard saying that Parrikar said he had all the information on Rafale in his bedroom. “This is something… which he said… that means he is holding them to ransom… He said it’s in my bedroom… here only in the flat… each and every document of Rafale is with me.”

Officially released photo of Parrikar meeting with a few MLAs in his office at secretariat on January 1, 2019.

The recording, which Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala released to the media outside parliament created a stir both in the Lok Sabha and in Goa, with the chief minister and Rane compelled to issue stinging denials.

“The audio clip released by the Congress party is a desperate attempt to fabricate facts after their lies were exposed by the recent Supreme Court verdict on Rafale. No such discussion ever came up during cabinet or any other meeting,” an official statement from Parrikar’s office said.

Also read: Rafale Takes Centerstage in Lok Sabha as Rahul Gandhi, Arun Jaitley Battle It Out

Rane who called a rushed press conference soon as the story broke to say that the tape had been “doctored” said he had spoken to BJP chief Amit Shah and asked for a police investigation into the matter. In a letter addressed to Parrikar he denied there had been a discussion between him “and any other individual in connection with an audio that has become viral regarding the Rafale row”. He said this was the work of someone trying to “play mischief” and those responsible should be brought to book.

He later told The Wire that the tape had been cleverly doctored “to sound very much like me”.

Here in Goa though, most journalists who have great access to ministers and politicians have little doubt that it is indeed Vishwajit Rane on the tape. The only question — somewhat inconsequential at this point —is who is on the other end of the phone line in the taped conversation.

Also read: Goa Minister Said Manohar Parrikar Has Rafale Documents in His Bedroom: Congress

Given its rather poor numerical strength in the Goa assembly and the fragile coalition math that binds its government together, the BJP is unlikely to take a tough stance on Vishwajit Rane for his indiscretion. The son of the former Congress chief minister Pratapsingh Rane, Vishwajit defected to the BJP last year and was soon inducted into the ministry. As things stand politically today, the BJP needs him more than he needs the saffron party in Goa.

But did Parrikar even bring up Rafale at the cabinet meeting — one of few that have taken place since he took ill in February last year? Another cabinet minister confirmed to The Wire that the chief minister did indeed make a passing reference to the Rafale deal, but not in quite the dramatic manner as recorded in the conversation that’s now gone viral. “He made some technical comments and had spoken on the benefits of the deal,” the source who asked that he not be named said.

Also read: During Crucial Rafale Negotiations, PMO Compromised Defence Ministry’s Position

Many believe Rane’s conversation is more a result of his impatience and frustration at being stuck in a non-functioning government. Parrikar has been ruling in absentia for the better part of the last ten months and still continues to hold some forty portfolios, despite a commitment from the party that there would be a portfolio redistribution after the December 11 election results.

On Tuesday, the BJP staged a photo op by bringing a frail chief minister to the state secretariat on New Year’s Day to show that he’s still capable of running a government. The Congress criticised the move as nothing more than an “exhibition”, while others criticised the party and the police for the brazen breach of security that allowed so many party supporters inside the precincts of the Secretariat for the BJP tamasha.

Goa Minister Said Manohar Parrikar Has Rafale Documents in His Bedroom: Congress

Goa minister Vishwajit Rane, who is purportedly on the recording released by the Congress, has said the audio is doctored.

New Delhi: The Congress on Wednesday demanded answers from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar’s purported claim that he had a file on the Rafale deal “lying in his bedroom”. The grand old party asked if this was the reason why a joint parliamentary committee probe was not being ordered.

Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala published a conversation purportedly between Goa minister Vishwajit Rane and another person.

Rane purportedly can be heard saying that during a Goa cabinet meeting last week, Parrikar stated he had an entire file and all documents relating to the Rafale deal lying in his bedroom, Surjewala claimed, playing the conversation for the media outside parliament.

He quoted Rane as saying, “The chief minister made a very interesting statement, that I have all the information of Rafale in my bedroom….that’s means he is holding them to ransom. He said it is in my bedroom here only in my flat, each and every document on Rafale.”

Rane has said that the tape is doctored and that Parrikar “never made any reference to Rafale”.

Also Read: During Crucial Rafale Negotiations, PMO Compromised Defence Ministry’s Position

There was no confirmation on whether it was the voice of Rane in the audio. The identity of the other person was also not ascertained.

The BJP has alleged that the Congress is only “peddling lies” on the Rafale issue.

“Now it is clear that the ‘chowkidaar is chor’ (the watchman is a thief),” Surjewala told reporters in an apparent reference to Modi.

“Now the prime minister should answer. The country is demanding answers as to what secrets in the Rafale ‘scam’ are lying inside Manohar Parrikar’s flat and bedroom,” he claimed, asking why the ‘chowkidaar’ is fearing Parrikar.

“Now the prime minister has to answer. He only does captive interviews and is not used to answering questions from the media. What is the hitch in making public all the documents,” he asked.

Surjewala claimed the skeletons were tumbling out of the Rafale scam cupboard.

“New evidence busts ‘chowkidar’s’ worst kept secrets. What is Modi government hiding… Is this the reason why a JPC probe is not being ordered,” he asked.

Training his guns on Modi, Surjewala said, “this is a personal charge against you”.

Also Read: Missing Links: The Supreme Court’s Verdict on the Rafale Deal

“There was corruption and wrongdoing in the Rafale scam and it is all recorded in the files. Those files are with Mr Parrikar. Why are they being hidden? If Mr. Modi has nothing to hide, then why is Mr. Parrikar keeping those files in his bedroom and threatening everybody that nobody can do anything against him, for he has the Rafale files,” he alleged.

Rane demands probe into audio clip

Rane told BJP president Amit Shah on Wednesday that he has asked the state government to order an inquiry into the matter.

In a letter to Shah, Rane said he never had any conversation with anyone on the Rafale issue.

According to BJP sources, Rane has said, “I have also sent a letter to Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar asking for an immediate police inquiry and criminal investigation to expose the mischievous elements.”

“…this is a doctored audio and have never had any discussion with this regard on this subject with anyone,” Rane said.

“I would like to…inform the chief minister that there is someone playing mischief and there should be inquiry in this matter and such mischievous elements need to be brought to the books,” Rane said in the letter to Parrikar.

(With PTI inputs)

BJP Rules out Leadership Change in Goa, Says Parrikar Is Fine

BJP president Amit Shah has sent three senior members of the party – B.L. Santhosh, Ram Lal and Vinay Puranik – to Goa to take stock of the political situation in the coastal state in view of Parrikar’s indisposition.

Panaji: The BJP on Sunday ruled out change in leadership in Goa, claiming chief minister Manohar Parrikar, admitted to New Delhi’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), is fine.

BJP president Amit Shah has sent three senior members of the party – B.L. Santhosh, Ram Lal and Vinay Puranik – to Goa to take stock of the political situation in the coastal state in view of Parrikar’s indisposition.

“Whatever was discussed today will be briefed to you tomorrow. There is no issue about the government and there is no demand of change in leadership from anyone,” Ram Lal told reporters after a series of meetings with state BJP leaders and MLAs here.

The three-member team, which is on a two-day visit to Goa, also met BJP’s allies in the state.

He declined to divulge details about the meetings, but Goa BJP president Vinay Tendulkar said there is no question of leadership change in the state as Parrikar is fine.

“During the meetings with central observers today we discussed organisational issues. There is no issue of leadership,” Ram Lal said.

Parrikar has been admitted to the AIIMS for follow-up treatment reportedly for a pancreatic ailment.

The 62-year-old IIT engineer-turned-politician is running the BJP-led government with the help of two regional allies – the Goa Forward Party (GFP) and the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) – and three independents.

When pointed out that the GFP has asked for a “permanent solution” for the situation arising out of Parrikar’s indisposition, Tendulkar said there is no need to change the leader.

“The chief minister is in good health and there is no need to change the leadership. The core committee (of the Goa BJP) will meet tomorrow,” he said.

Earlier, alliance partners had asked the BJP’s central observers to a provide permanent solution to the situation arising out of Parrikar’s illness and his absence from day-to-day administrative work.

All the three MLAs of the GFP and the independent legislators met BJP observers this evening in a city hotel.

The series of meetings began in the afternoon when BJP legislators and leaders met the emissaries. This was followed by the BJP’s alliance partners meeting them.

“We have put forth our points about present political situation in Goa. We have asked them to provide permanent solution,” GFP president and agriculture minister Vijai Sardesai told reporters outside the hotel after meeting the observers.

He said the discussion centred around the current political situation in Goa and also preparations for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

BJP leader and deputy speaker Michael Lobo said the future strategy of the state government would be decided after the observers submit their report.

Lobo said there is no problem in the party but the chief minister not keeping well is a problem.

“The observers are sent by the party high command and they are monitoring the situation. Let them report to the high command and come back to us with the solution for the problem,” Lobo said.

Health minister Vishwajit Rane of the BJP said he has given his views about the political situation to the observers and it is now for the party to take a decision.

“We have briefed them about the facts. Each one of us has our own view and we briefed them about it. It is not right to come out in public with what we discussed,” Rane said.

All the three MLAs of the MGP separately met the BJP observers but did not speak to media persons.

Meanwhile, the main opposition Congress said it is closely watching the developments.

The BJP currently has 14 legislators in the 40-member Assembly, while the GFP and the MGP have three each. The national party is also supported by three independents.

The Congress has 16 MLAs while the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has one legislator.

The Congress said Sunday it may explore the possibility of forming a government but “not by compromising the state’s interest.”

“Our stand is very clear. We will definitely explore all possibilities but that does not mean that we will do it by compromising the ideology or the interest of Goans,” All India Congress Committee secretary A. Chellakumar, who is also Goa in-charge of the party, said.

“We are not in a hurry to capture power by compromising the interest of the people of Goa. The Congress is accountable to the people,” he said.

“All our MLAs are together. We are watching what is going on in the ruling camp. The internal bickering has already started. The cabinet ministers have started throwing stones at each other,” he said.

The Congress leader said all legislators in Goa, cutting across party lines, should take a stand for the sake of the state.

Parrikar was admitted to the AIIMS Saturday morning. He had undergone a three-month-long treatment in the US earlier this year.

The MGP had said Saturday it was “high time” Parrikar handed over the charge to the senior-most minister in his cabinet during his absence.

(PTI)