Goa: Health minister, Oppn leader trade charges

Goa minister Vishwajit Rane today accused Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly, Chandrakant Kavlekar, of being disloyal to his party.

Rane was reacting to Kavlekar's statement that Rane quit the Congress and joined the BJP for the sake of power.

" In the last five years, Kavelkar did not attend a single meeting of the CLP. I can make public the register book of CLP which will show how Kavlekar was disloyal to the party," Rane, who quit the Congress and resigned his assembly seat soon after the elections in March,told reporters here.

Rane, who later joined the BJP and became the Health Minister in the Manohar Parrikar government, was reacting to Kavlekar's charge that he crossed over to the saffron party for the sake of power.
 

Kavlekar had said "Rane, who got elected on Congress ticket and resigned to join BJP for the sake of power, has no moral right to talk about the Congress."

Rane said that Kavlekar has many skeletons in his cupboard which need to be taken out by the central agencies.

The minister was referring to ACB's investigation against Kavlekar in connection with an alleged plot allotment scam when he headed the state Industrial Development Corporation.

Rane had incensed Congres leaders in the state terming the party as a rudderless ship which could sink any time.

Countering Rane's allegation of being disloyal to the Congress, Kavlekar said, "He (Rane) is making statements in frustration. I have been regularly attending the CLP meetings and have been always loyal to the party."

"The minister has realised that he will either be restrained by the court from contesting a by election or losing the election," Kavlekar added.

The Congress party has filed a disqualification petition against Rane who had resigned as a MLA on March 16 after Parrikar won the trust vote in Goa Assembly.

The party has also filed a petition against Rane before the Goa Bench of Bombay High court seeking to restrain him from contesting the upcoming by-poll.