Billed as one of the most honest bureaucrats in Goa by AAP co-founder Arvind Kejriwal, the party’s chief ministerial candidate Elvis Gomes on Monday was grilled by the State ACB in connection with an alleged land scam, in which a former Minister in the erstwhile Congress-led coalition Minister is also linked.
Gomes has, however, claimed he is being victimised, due to his new political pursuit, even as Kejriwal himself has backed him on social media, after the AAP Goa leader was interrogated for nearly two hours by Anti-Corruption Bureau sleuths in Panaji.
“I have responded in detail to questions asked by the ACB during the interrogation... This matter has nothing to do with me. This is nothing but sheer harassment,” Gomes said told The Pioneer.
Gomes said that in particular, his summoning by ACB during Christmas festivities, especially when the FIR was lodged in February, was enough to arouse suspicion about the motive behind the police action.
“I am confident. This is nothing but an attempt to harass me. The ruling politicians are worried about the rapid strides being made by AAP in Goa. This is an obvious harassment of the aam aadmi,” Gomes said after he emerged from his meeting with the ACB officials, even as AAP volunteers cheered him and shouted slogans against the Bharatiya Janata Party-led coalition Government in Goa.
Elvis Gomes, along with a former Nationalist Congress Party minister were in February booked in connection with an alleged land-scam involving controversial acquisition of a tract of land of around 30,000 sq mts, in Margao town nearly 35 km from Panaji. The FIR also alleged that Gomes, as managing director of the Goa Housing Board along with Halarnkar, as chairman of the Board had changed the zoning of the land-tract from orchard to settlement, thereby enhancing its market value and later dropping the acquisition process and reverting the land back to its original owner.
Gomes however claims that he was not even in office when the controversial decisions were taken.
“I have told the ACB officials that I was not in office when this occurred. I have satisfied all the queries they directed at me,” he said, adding that the opposition was rattled by AAP’s strides in poll-bound Goa.
“AAP is making such rapid progress in India, that is what is rattling them. We are on a course that will help Goa in the future,” he said.
“Faced ACB Goa for 3 hrs only. They couldn't get to me, neither could they disturb our Christmas spirit which soared all the more,” Gomes later tweeted.
Meanwhile, Kejriwal has backed Elvis on Twitter and accused the BJP-led coalition government of harassing him.
“People of Goa will give a befitting reply to BJP these elections. Goa will vote for honesty,” Kejriwal also said.