"A Reward": Minister Govind Gaude Dropped From Goa Cabinet Weeks After Corruption Remarks

Goa Art and Culture Minister Govind Gaude was on Wednesday dropped from the state cabinet, almost a month after he alleged corruption in the tribal welfare department headed by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant.

Govind Gaude called the decision a "reward" for him on Goa Revolution Day, which is celebrated on June 18 every year.

BJP Goa unit president Damodar Naik confirmed to PTI that Gaude was removed from the council of ministers.

State Under Secretary (General Administration) Shreyas D'Silva said that the Governor of Goa had accepted the recommendation by the CM, following which Gaude ceased to be a member of the council of ministers with immediate effect.

Naik, however, didn't mention the official reason for sacking the minister. "This is a decision of the state government," he said without elaborating.

CM Sawant was not available for comments.

Reacting to the development, Gaude tweeted, "I have been rewarded this fate on the Goa Revolution Day for standing up for the downtrodden communities. Gratitude to my government and the party for liberating me to continue the struggle that I voiced for." Addressing a state-level function on May 26, Gaude had dubbed the state tribal welfare department inefficient and claimed its officers were taking bribes to sign files, drawing a sharp reaction from the BJP, which warned of action.

Latching on to Gaude's claims, Congress had demanded that Governor P S Sreedharan Pillai sack the state government for "rampant corruption".

The 53-year-old MLA from the Priol assembly segment in North Goa took oath in March 2022, after the BJP won the state elections. Gaude had also served as a minister in the Sawant-led cabinet from 2019 to 22.

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