Satya Pal Malik should resign as Governor, contest Goa polls: Deputy CM

Malik in an interview had said that corruption was rampant in Goa

Two days after former Goa Governor Satya Pal Malik accused the Chief Minister Pramod Sawant-led government of allegedly indulging in corruption in "any and everything", including providing food supplies to the distraught public during the first lockdown last year, Goa Deputy Chief Minister Manohar Ajgaonkar on Wednesday lashed out at Malik, currently a serving Governor of Meghalaya.

Ajgaonkar told reporters on Wednesday that instead of making wild allegations, Malik should first resign from the constitutional post that he currently holds and contest elections in Goa.

“He has to safeguard the value of the Governor's position. If you have the guts you retire and say whatever you want. Come into politics, contest elections in Goa, we do not have a problem,” Ajgaonkar said, a day after ruling state BJP leaders said that they would complain to the Centre about Malik's overeach.

“Do not defame Dr Pramod Sawant's name ahead of elections. The CM works 18 hours a day. He has raised infrastructure for Covid. He (Malik) is making these comments because he was made to run out of here,” Ajgaonkar also said. Malik was abruptly transferred to Meghalaya in August last year, after he publicly criticised the Covid handling management of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Goa government.

Malik in an interview to a national news channel on Monday had said that corruption was rampant in Goa in "any and everything" while also accusing the government of indulging in corruption vis-a-vis distribution of essential supplies to the people of Goa during the first lockdown.

Ajgaonkar now claims that there could a linkage between the utterances made by the former Goa Governor and opposition parties in poll-bound Goa, who have gone to town demanding Sawant's resignation as well as judicial probe into the charges levelled by Malik.

“He could have been in touch with the opposition, there could be fixing. He has given advantage to the opposition. He should be probed by the Home department. He should have evidence for the claims he is making,” Ajgaonkar alleged.

Watch latest videos by DH here: