PANAJI: In a big jolt to the BJP government in Goa ahead of the assembly elections scheduled early next year, urban development and social welfare minister Milind Naik resigned from chief minister Pramod Sawant’s cabinet late on Wednesday night after Congress named him in an alleged sex scandal.
Naik said he was resigning from his post as a minister to “ensure free and fair probe into the case”.
“I have accepted his resignation and sent it to governor P S Sreedharan Pillai,” Sawant told TOI.
It was on November 30 that Congress state president Girish Chodankar had first alleged, without naming Naik, that a minister was involved in a “sex scandal” and gave Sawant-led BJP government an ultimatum of 15 days to act against the minister.
Last week, Sawant had said he would act if the survivor in the alleged scandal files a complaint or if Congress names the minister involved.
BJP state president Sadanand Shet Tanavade had also challenged Chodankar to name the minister and had said if Congress names him, then BJP would immediately act.
On Wednesday, after the 15-day deadline given by Congress passed, Chodankar publicly named Milind Naik and alleged that a Bihar-based woman was sexually exploited by the minister. He said the BJP minister, who is the Mormugao MLA, has misused his office, and that he has evidence to back his allegations against Naik.
The CM said the government would conduct a proper investigation into the allegations. “We will look into all the evidence that has been provided by Congress and take appropriate action,” he said.
Sawant also said Naik has told him that he will fight the case. “Whatever allegations have been made against him are at a personnel level,” Sawant told TOI, adding they do not plan to induct any minister in place of Naik.
Two days earlier, Chodankar had met the governor and revealed the name of Naik to him and demanded that he be dropped from the cabinet.
‘Such a minister is a disgrace to all Goans’
A minister is misusing his position and sexually exploiting a woman. Such a minister is a disgrace to Goa and all Goans. He should immediately be sacked and this government needs to show the people of Goa that ministers like Milind Naik, who exploit women, will not be spared,” Chodankar said earlier on Wednesday.
Chodankar had claimed that an acquaintance of his has video, audio recordings to back the allegation of sexual exploitation. Congress also released some of the evidence, including photographs.
Earlier in the day, Mormugao police registered a FIR against Congress vice-president Sankalp Amonkar and others based on a complaint supposedly filed by a woman in Bihar on charges of extortion, stalking, criminal conspiracy and various sections of the Information Technology Act.
The woman had filed a complaint at a police station at Bihar on December10 alleging that Congress is coercing her and trying to defame her.
But soon after Chodankar’s announcement, Amonkar filed a complaint against Naik with the women’s police station accusing the minister of sexually abusing and raping a woman, forcing her to undergo an abortion and threatening her with dire consequences.
He met PI Sudiksha Naik of the women’s police station and submitted evidence in support of his complaint. He said this included the victim’s mobile phone containing audio and video messages, discussions and WhatsApp chats between Naik and the woman.
“I am ready to face all allegations,” Amonkar told reporters. “I am ready to face arrest. I won’t apply for anticipatory bail. What crime have I committed?”
Mahila Congress president Beena Naik had also issued a two-day ultimatum to Sawant to sack Naik from his cabinet. “Else, we will take stern action. All women of Goa will take a morcha to the minister’s residence and pull him out of his house,” Naik had threatened.
