Former chief minister and Leader of Opposition Digambar Kamat
Gomantak Times
Former chief minister Digambar Kamat on Thursday said no report of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which purportedly pointed out a Rs 35,000 crore mining scam in the state, exists and charged that BJP has played the biggest fraud on the people and deprived lakhs of Goans their livelihood with the sole intention of targetting him.
Addressing a press conference, 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.
"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 added.
He further said if voted to power, the Congress government will investigate the entire fraud
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.
Kamat is contesting the February 14 state assembly election from his traditional constituency of Margao as a Congress candidate/
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.