Panaji: Goa Legislative Assembly Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar on Friday levelled allegations against state Cabinet Minister Govind Gaude of his own party (BJP) over alleged misappropriation of ‘special grants’.
Tawadkar, a senior BJP leader from the ST community, during a press conference, said that he would not tolerate the indiscipline of the minister “who was behaving without any protocol”.
“I am witnessing such an incident for the first time that a Minister from my government is behaving in an irresponsible manner… is being indisciplined and the one who is not following protocol. I feel sad about this. It should not happen. I will not tolerate it,” Tawadkar said, slamming Govind Gaude, also an ST leader who joined the BJP in 2022.
“It is an irony that the Minister of the same party is trying to create trouble. I have placed this on the proper forum of the party. There should be an inquiry in this whole matter,” Tawadkar, the Canacona MLA, said.
According to him, the Art and Culture Department has released funds to families who have formed multiple organisations, and have failed to organise programmes for which the grants were released.
“Actually, these programmes have not taken place, and as a local MLA, I was not invited. The minister’s intention for releasing funds to two different organisations of one family has to be investigated. I have asked for a report from the director of art and culture to check if such instances have taken place across the state,” Tawadkar said.
“I have brought this issue to the notice of Chief Minister Pramod Sawant,” Tawadkar further said.
Govind Gaude is also facing allegations of corruption in the Rs 49 crore renovation work of Kala Academy.
–IANS