Goa minister who made corruption allegations against CM's department dropped from Cabinet

Indian Express

6 hours ago

Three weeks after he levelled corruption allegations in the Department of Tribal Welfare — a portfolio held by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant – Art and Culture Minister Govind Gaude was dropped from the state Cabinet Wednesday.
Goa BJP President Damu Naik told The Indian Express: 'The decision was unanimous. It was taken after consultations by the government, the party and the party's central leadership. Party discipline is a must'.
Party sources said the decision to strip Gaude of his cabinet post was taken by the chief minister soon after the incident last month. The state leadership had been waiting for a nod from the central party leadership in Delhi.
For the time being, the portfolios held by Gaude will be with the chief minister, sources said.
BJP president Naik had gone to Delhi to meet the central leadership of the party earlier this month and submitted a report. Naik added that the decision to induct someone in the Cabinet shall be taken 'very soon'.
The row erupted when Gaude, who was also holding sports and rural development portfolios, made a jibe at the alleged corruption in the tribal welfare ministry at a Prerna Divas event organised by the Directorate of Tribal Welfare along with the United Tribal Associations' Alliance (UTAA) on May 25. In his speech, Gaude said: 'A large amount of taxpayers' money is allotted to the Tribal Welfare department. If it is unable to organise this programme efficiently, then it shows a lack of control over the administration. In my opinion, the administration has weakened today. The files of contractors are handled under the Shram Shakti Bhavan (a government block) building on the sly. Something is taken from them, and then they are asked to submit their files.'
He went on to say: 'The construction of the Tribal Bhavan is a long-pending demand of the tribal community. They gave their land for the project… The foundation stone was laid when I was the Tribal Welfare Minister. The project has been stalled. Why is there no progress in the project?'
After Gaude's remarks had prompted a sharp reaction from the BJP, with Sawant warning of 'appropriate' action for 'irresponsible statements', the former minister had gone into a damage-control exercise, later claiming that he was 'misquoted' in the media.
A theatre actor-turned-politician, Gaude, a 53-year-old tribal leader who represents the Priol constituency, has often courted controversies over the last several years. In February 2024, Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar accused Gaude for his alleged involvement in misappropriation of government funds to the tune of Rs 26 lakh meant for organising cultural programmes in South Goa's Canacona constituency.
In 2022, Gaude sparked a row when he defended the Sawant government's decision to allocate renovation work of Kala Academy in Panaji without a tendering process, saying that even the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan had not 'invited quotations for building the Taj Mahal, which for 390 years has remained as it was'.
In the previous BJP government, Gaude had been a minister while remaining an Independent MLA supporting the ruling party. He had then also held the tribal welfare portfolio along with the art and culture ministry. He retained his ministerial berth even after Sawant succeeded Manohar Parrikar as the CM in 2019 following the latter's demise. Ahead of the 2022 Assembly polls, Gaude joined the BJP and won the election on its ticket from his Priol seat by defeating the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP)'s president Deepak Dhavalikar.