The Special Investigation Team (SIT) set up to probe the rampant fraudulent land grabbing will be fruitful only if it is allowed to function free of political interference. But the road ahead for this SIT is bleak with so many BJP leaders including at least two current Ministers having close links with the cartel of land grabbers.
Some years ago the BJP government appointed a panel of Chartered Accountants to examine the grabbing of Serula Comunidade land. But the inquiry made no headway once it surfaced that many BJP leaders were also beneficiaries of the loot.
Over the last decade many BJP leaders from the Centre and other states have acquired a lot of property in Goa and even set up businesses here. The legality, funding and propriety of all these deals must be looked into.
The SIT now set up has an enormous task at hand but we can only hope that it will move on the right path fairly but fearlessly in nailing the culprits after identifying and prosecuting them mercilessly. Every inch of land that has been grabbed must be restored to its rightful owner.
Those in Power must lead by example and be above board. Mr. Pramod Sawant himself may have a lot to explain as to how he so swiftly attained the distinction of transforming himself so rapidly into Mr. Property Sawant.
Let’s hope that if the probe by SIT is fair and far reaching and without fear or favour that they are not forced to sit on their hands or their report is not allowed to gather dust on account of undue political interference and coercion.
Richard Gere, a famous actor and human rights activist opined that ‘If people lose their land, they have nothing. You lose your land – you lose your culture, you lose self ’.
