Margao: State Congress president Girish Chodankar on Friday sought an explanation from chief minister Pramod Sawant over the presence of a privately owned luxury SUV, worth Rs 3.5 crore to Rs 4 crore, in the chief minister’s escort convoy.Addressing reporters in Panaji, Chodankar said the vehicle was registered in the name of Akshay Shah and hinted at possible benami ownership. He asked Sawant to clarify his connection with the SUV and whether he used it.Chodankar said the SUV carried the registration number 24, the same as a govt vehicle used by the chief minister, and claimed it was Sawant’s favourite number.“There’s nothing wrong in choosing that number. But what raises question is the presence of a second vehicle, a privately owned one, with an identical registration number, in the CM’s escort convoy. Can this be a coincidence? We need an explanation,” Chodankar said.He claimed the vehicle was not hypothecated to any bank or financial institution, indicating it had been bought without a loan, and alleged that corruption money was used.Chodankar called it an example of BJP’s “model of corruption” in Goa, citing Rahul Gandhi’s recent criticism.
