Now Goa has its own version of Mayawati’s legendary ‘jumbo’ controversy.
A right wing political party the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, currently supporting the ruling BJP Government has raked up controversy over a plan to instal four larger than life sized lion statues — the party’s symbol —at Kranti Maidan a public space in the hill town of Ponda, 30 kms from here.
The move has seen opposition both from the Opposition Congress as well as noted freedom fighters and activists from the town. The MGP, has however defended its actions saying there was nothing political about the move.
The statues, each to be carved out individual granite blocks, are part of a beautification of Kranti maidan, with is represented by the MGP party along with two neighbouring constituencies.
The Opposition party has accused Public Works Department Minister in the Parrikar cabinet, Ramkrishna Dhavlikar of trying to politically appropriate one of the last open spaces in that town.
“They are trying to appropriate a public park and paint it with their political colours and symbols using public money,” Congress organising secretary Durgadas Kamat told The Pioneer.
Both the MGP and Dhavalikar have rejected allegations of a scam and said that all due processes were followed while going about the Rs4.26 crore project.
Kamat went a step ahead an likened the Ponda plan to that of Mayawati’s infamous attempts to install larger-than-life statues of herself and elephants in UP.
“like Mayawati and her BSP, he is trying to put a political stamp of the MGP on public spaces. While she (Mayawati) installed elephant statues worth crores, in Goa, Dhavalikar is using his Ministry to erect lions. The cost of each lion statue, according to the tender documents is Rs18 lakh,” Kamat alleged.
Kamat says the issue is not limited to using public funds for self aggrandisement but one of corruption too as several discrepancies in the sanctioning and the tendering process have emerged.
“The original plan varies from the actual work which is being carried out at the Kranti maidan. There is also a significant difference between the estimated cost and the actual monies which are being spent on the project,” Kamat said.
The MGP has however claimed that the allegations made by the Congress are off the mark and that the lion statues being erected have more to do with history than politics.
“The lion was the official emblem of the Kadamba dynasty,” maintains MGP spokesperson lavu Mamledar. The Kadamba dynasty ruled over Goa from 11th century AD to 13th century AD, along with the other parts of northern Karnataka.
Minister Dhavalikar, who has courted controversy in the recent past following his demands for a ban on pubs and bikinis in Goa, said that his department is only executing a plan submitted by another architect.
The entire project he says is as per a plan submitted by a local architect and that his Ministry is only executing a plan what has been submitted to it.
“The PWD Ministry is only undertaking the work as per the plan prepared by an architect. There is no misappropriation and anyone is free to approach the vigilance department over the expenditure,” Dhavalikar said.
