Goa sarpanch threatens to parade Congress leader in bikini

Panaji, Sep 11: The bikini is back in the news in Goa, this time as an object of threat.

A sarpanch (village head) of Bandoda village in Ponda sub-district, 30 km from Panaji, has threatened a Congress spokesperson Durgadas Kamat of parading him in a bikini if he continues with his allegations of corruption in a playground project of the public work department (PWD).

Rajesh Kavlekar also told a press conference that the Kashimath ground project was above board and had the backing of the local legislator and PWD Minister Sudin Dhavalikar, who incidentally had called for a ban on bikinis on Goa's beaches two months back.

"If Durgadas continues with his baseless allegations of corruption and enters our village again, we will make him wear a bikini and parade him in public," Kavelkar told reporters.

Kamat, at another press conference held Wednesday at the Congress headquarters in Panaji, had alleged corruption in the Kashimath playground project, claiming more than one tender was sanctioned for the same project by the PWD.

Kamat had also launched a tirade against Dhavalikar, following his call for a bikini ban and had even purchased and couriered a pink bikini to the minister as a mark of protest.

Kavlekar now claims that the village of Bandoda would be out of bounds for Kamat.

Asked for comment, state Congress president John Fernandes said the party would not be "cowered by physical threats". "They don't own the village. We will deal with the threat appropriately," Fernandes said.

IANS