Mining scam: Goa CM meets Sonia Gandhi in Delhi

PANAJI: In the backdrop of allegations pertaining to illegal mining, Goa Chief Minister Digambar Kamat met Congress president Sonia Gandhi in the national capital, sources said today.

Though Kamat government has been facing heat over alleged instances of illegal mining in the coastal state, the change of leadership is not on the cards at least till Justice M B Shah Commission, probing illegal mining, submits its report and indicts the state leadership if the case be, they said.

However, talking to media from Delhi, Kamat said his meeting with Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday was a courtesy call.

"I had not met her after she came back from the treatment. It was just a courtesy call to convey good wishes of people from Goa," Kamat said, adding he was returning today.

Kamat's Delhi visit assumed significance as the Congress-led government is pushed to the corner over allegations of illegal mining.

A report by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), led by Leader of Opposition Manohar Parrikar, tabled in the House estimated the mining scam to the tune of Rs 4,000 Crore.