Daijiworld Media Network - Margao

Margao, Oct 24: Goa Congress president Girish Chodankar on Friday sought an explanation from Chief Minister Pramod Sawant over the presence of a privately owned luxury SUV, reportedly 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 raised the possibility of benami ownership. He demanded that Sawant clarify his connection with the SUV and whether he used the vehicle.

Chodankar pointed out that the SUV bore the registration number 24, the same number as a government vehicle used by the chief minister. He claimed that 24 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 further claimed that the vehicle was not hypothecated to any bank or financial institution, suggesting that it had been purchased without a loan. Chodankar alleged that corruption money could have been used to acquire the luxury vehicle.

The Congress leader described the matter as an example of what he called the BJP’s “model of corruption” in Goa, referring to recent criticism of the party by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

Chodankar called on Sawant to clarify the circumstances surrounding the vehicle’s ownership and presence in the chief minister’s convoy.