Margao: State Congress president Girish Chodankar on Wednesday alleged a link between the cash-for-jobs scam and the Excise Department scam, and demanded a court-monitored special investigation team (SIT) probe into both. He also called for chief minister Pramod Sawant’s resignation.Addressing reporters, Chodankar said the two cases appeared to be part of a larger racket operating within govt machinery. He pointed to forged signatures and fake govt orders, which, he said, could not have been used without the involvement of people inside the system.He expressed concern that crucial evidence could be destroyed if the investigation remained in the hands of agencies under the state govt’s control. A probe monitored by the court, he said, was the only way to ensure transparency and to bring all those involved to book, irrespective of their position or political affiliation.Chodankar said the allegations went to the root of govt’s credibility, as aspirants who paid money for jobs had been cheated while genuine, deserving candidates lost out. He argued that the chief minister, who holds charge of key departments, could not escape moral and political responsibility for the lapses.“The chief minister must step down so that a free and fair investigation can take place,” Chodankar said, adding that his party would continue to raise the issue on the streets and in the Assembly if govt failed to act.He urged govt to disclose the status of the ongoing investigations and to take action against officials found to have facilitated the forgery of documents.
