The alleged multi-crore “cash-job” scam in Goa is heating up the state’s BJP government.
The opposition in the state has been alleging the involvement of the ruling BJP administration in the scam, claiming that “government jobs were for sale” in the state. The Congress, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Goa Forward Party have called for the formation of a judicial commission or special investigation team (SIT) to probe the scam.
Senior AAP leader Sanjay Singh has also alleged that Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, his family and other BJP MLAs are involved in the scam. CM Sawant has dismissed these allegations as “baseless”, and has given a “free hand to the police” to investigate the scam impartially.
At a press conference in Delhi on Wednesday, Singh alleged that “jobs are being sold for bribes in Goa.” He claimed that the names of some BJP officials had also come out during the investigation into the scam and alleged that there were audio files in this regard.
In one such alleged audio file, an MLA is allegedly talking about money to ensure jobs, Singh said.
What is a scam?
The alleged “job-for-cash” scam involved hundreds of victims, who were lured to pay large sums of money to the accused in exchange for jobs in various government departments. According to the police, the accused were promised employment with the help of “connections”.
The scam first came to light in October during a police investigation where the complainant paid lakhs to get a government job. Later, similar cases started piling up in various parts of the state since last month.
Following the spate of these cases, CM Sawant appealed to people to come forward with complaints, promising that “no one will be spared”.
Police have so far registered 29 FIRs — 18 in North Goa and 14 in South Goa — and arrested at least 33 people for cheating and defrauding the victims in connection with the scam.
In a recent press conference, Goa DGP Alok Kumar said that those arrested in the cases did not appear to be part of an “organized cartel”. Kumar said that “no political connection” as alleged by the opposition has emerged so far. But the police said that the accused may have used the name of a politician to cheat the victim.
Amidst the investigation, Sawant said Pooja Naik, one of the prime accused, had approached him at his home a few months ago. “I asked her if she had come to look for a job. I also asked how much she had paid to the person who had accompanied her… Immediately, I asked a woman police constable to file a complaint against her at Bicholim police station. I handed her over to the police,” Sawant said. He said that he had no connection with the government or the administration and took money from many under the pretext of giving him a job.
A few days after Naik’s arrest, a 49-year-old attendant at the state OBC Corporation, who was being questioned by the police in a case, committed suicide.
The opposition has attacked
The opposition has stepped up its attack on the BJP since the arrest of former BJP Mahila Bloc president Shruti Prabugaonkar in a case at Nuvem in South Goa on November 12. He claimed that he was no longer affiliated with the party.
AAP has also focused on Sawant’s meeting with Naik to allege his involvement in the scam.
Sanjay Singh alleged, “He (Naik) met the Chief Minister at his residence. He was arrested a week later… Why was he arrested a week later? This delay proves the BJP government’s involvement in the scam.”
Goa Aam Aadmi Party president Amit Palekar asked why the BJP government has not constituted a judicial commission yet. He claimed that this “reluctance” indicated the alleged involvement of BJP leaders in the scam. “How can the police come to a conclusion when the case is still being registered? How can they give a clean chit to the politicians in power?” he asked.
Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) president Amit Patkar alleged that “it is clear that the BJP government has sold jobs during its tenure in the last 12 years”.
BJP spokesperson Giriraj Pai Wernekar, however, dismissed the opposition’s allegations against Sawant and his family as “baseless”.
BJP’s Revenue Minister Attanasio Monserrate is among those demanding an independent probe into the scam.
Earlier, in 2021, Monserrate, an MLA from Panaji, had accused his own party of recruiting for government jobs. He had accused the then Public Works Minister Deepak Pauskar of taking money to get a job.
The alleged scam comes as a fresh blow to the BJP, which is already under the scanner due to land sector changes carried out by the party-led state government over the past few years.
Unemployment, especially among the youth, remains a concern in Goa. According to the latest Periodic Labor Force Survey data, Goa has an unemployment rate of 8.5% across all age groups. Between the ages of 15 and 29, the unemployment rate in Goa is 19.1%.