By IANS,
Panaji: The Goa state Congress president Saturday said that he was “proud” of his name featuring in an affidavit submitted before the apex court on the multi-crore illegal mining scam, and dared the BJP government to file an FIR against him.
Subhash Shirodkar, who claimed that he is being framed up in the scam by the state’s BJP government. He is one of the three Congress leaders who have been named in the affidavit submitted in the Goa’s mining scam, along with former urban development minister Joaquim Alemao and Jitendra Deshprabhu.
He was speaking to reporters here in a conference to review the one-year performance of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government.
“I own only four trucks, along with my brother and a partner in the company. But if my name features in the affidavit saying I have done illegal mining, then I am proud of it,” Shirodkar claimed.
The affidavit submitted before the apex court Feb 6 names the Congress leader and his company Vasundhara. It said: “While the government does recognize the right of every citizen to conduct legal business, it is required to verify, scrutinize and examine whether by using political clout…any illegal…mining had been undertaken… ”
Shirodkar further said that he used to run a ore transportation and extraction business, but claimed that it was legal.
“If the Goa government has the guts, let them file an FIR (first information report). Then we will see. Mentioning names in the affidavit has no meaning,” Shirodkar said, adding that his family risen up from being labourers in the mines, when he was a child.
The Justice M.B. Shah Commission had exposed a Rs.35,000 crore illegal mining scam in the state, which it said was carried out by a cartel of politicians, bureaucrats and mining companies.
Mining in Goa is currently banned now by the Supreme Court, which is hearing a petition on illegal mining filed by noted lawyer Prashant Bhushan.