HOME WHY IS PARRIKAR AFRAID? -------------------------------------------------- |
IN DEPTH |
STRAY THOUGHTS By Rajan Narayan EMBITTERED BABUSH NOW PLANS TO TAKE OVER UGDP -------------------------------------------------- |
IN FOCUS IS 'MIRA' THE ONLY ONE? By A Special Correspondent -------------------------------------------------- |
IN PERSPECTIVE |
TONGUE-IN-CHEEK By Aravind Bhatikar PARRITLER'S TRAVAILS STRATEGIES IN THREE PACKAGES -------------------------------------------------- |
POLL WATCH
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EATING IS FUN A variety food column By Tara Narayan SHRAVAN FASTING HOME & HEARTH ALL YOU WANT TO KNOW ABOUT THE COCONUT TREE By Tara Narayan -------------------------------------------------- |
HEALTH HEART DISEASE. . . A FALLOUT OF LIFESTYLE By A Special Correspondent -------------------------------------------------- |
TEACHER’S DAY TO SIR WITH LOVE By Carmen De Sa E Rodrigues -------------------------------------------------- |
TRUCIAL TAKES DISTANT DREAMS, GLORIOUS LAURELS By Armen -------------------------------------------------- |
SPORTSTRACK By Irineu Gonsalves CRICKET CRAZY INDIA NEEDS TO WAKE UP -------------------------------------------------- |
GOENKARANCHO AVAZ |
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IN A TYPICAL knee-jerk reaction the Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar has decided to throw the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) out of Goa. This is an apparent response of retaliation to Income Tax authorities refusing to take the CM into confidence before raiding a cabinet colleague. Parrikar’s reasoning is, of course, unique. He claims that during the raid a government officer had gone to the residence of the Town & Country Planning minister which was under occupation by the income tax sleuths. The officer had apparently gone there to get Babush Monserrate's signature on a cabinet note. Parrikar now is insisting that by preventing the government official from meeting Babush Monserrate the Income Tax Department had interfered with the functioning of his government. Parrikar also has been ranted that the IT raids even attempted intimidating and demoralising the Bharatiya Janata Party in the state. Ideally, of course, Shri Manohar Parrikar would have liked to expel the income-tax department from the state. Together presumably with other Central Investigative agencies like the Intelligence Bureau, the Enforcement Directorate, the Department of Revenue Intelligence, etc.. Unfortunately there is no provision for throwing out Central agencies from the State. As a logical collorary to his rage with the Central agencies presumably Manohar Parrikar would also like to evict Governor Jamir from Cabo Raj Niwas and bring back Kidarnath Sahani. Or alternatively invite Uma Bharati to occupy the Raj Bhavan to make it the headquarters of her new yatra. But if wishes were horses, beggars would ride. And clearly Parrikar like his BJP counterparts in the Centre and in the other states does not seem to have registered that there is no longer a BJP-controlled government at the Centre. There is another dimension to the controversy sought to be created by Manohar Parrikar over the IT raids on Babush Monserrate and Isidore Fernandes. Manohar Parrikar has always been claiming that he is clean. That his government is committed to good governance and transperancy. That he is committed to zero tolerance of corruption. If Manohar Parrikar is clean and believes that all his colleagues are also paragons of virtue and rectitude what is he afraid of? Why should a few IT raids rattle him so much? Why should he object to the CBI presence in Goa? Unless, of course, Parrikar knows that he heads a government of chors. That now that he can no longer hope for protection and patronage from the Central government, more of his ministerial colleagues and possibly many of his relatives will be exposed. In fact, by kicking the CBI out and making such a big noise about the IT raids on Babush Monserrate, Parrikar is only reinforcing the suspicion of the Goan people that the BJP is no better and is in fact worse than the Congress Party. We would like to conclude with some suggestions for the Income Tax Department and for the Enforcement Directorate and the CBI. Please check how many times various senior members of the Parrikar cabinet have gone abroad. How many have Swiss visas stamped on their passports? How many tax shelters like Bahamas or the Isle of Man did the ministers visit? How many close relatives of Manohar Parrikar have gone abroad during his tenure as Chief Minister? And, incidentally, why did the IT team which came from Bangalore not raid the residence of John Fernandes, former Private Secretary to Babush Monserrate, and his office at Panaji Planning & Development Authority? Lest anybody accuses us of bias we would also request the IT department and the Enforcement Directorate to also investigate whether the one-time highest tax payer among politicians continues to pay his taxes. And whether the LOO has assets disproportionate to his known source of income? Or have they been offset by his major liability, his son Vishwajit Rane? And while we are being helpful the Income Tax department can also perhaps find out if the architectural practise of Tulio D’ Souza can support his lifestyle? We are convinced that the Congress collaborators of Manohar Parrikar are even happier with his decision to kick the CBI out of Goa then the CM’s cabinet colleagues or relatives. MOG ASSUM RAJAN NARAYAN
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