After RTI ruling, BJP asked to reveal expenses on big Goa meet

NDTV News : Panaji : Thursday, June 6, 2013.

Goa BJP leaders have repeatedly dodged questions related to the expenditure on preparations for the party's three-day national executive meeting beginning on June 7. But an activist has now filed a Right to Information (RTI) plea to get the details.

Spurred on by Monday's landmark order by the Chief Information Commissioner bringing political parties under the RTI Act, an application filed by an information activist might just do the trick. Kashinath Shetye, a former government employee, has sought to know from the hosts, the BJP's Goa unit, on how much money was being spent in the lavish preparations for the meet. 

The meeting will not only see the creme de la creme of the BJP leadership, but also host over 300 office-bearers who will huddle together to strategically chart out a course for the 2014 Lok Sabha election. The meeting could also throw up the name of the party's prime ministerial candidate. Mr Shetye's application today seeks to know "the estimate of (national) executive meet on June 7, 8 and 9" as well as the amount of money spent by the BJP on a similar national executive meeting held in 2002, when Atal Behari Vajpayee was the prime minister.

BJP leaders in Goa have been dodgy about sharing the details involving the event's finances."We do not know, but it will be a great event," said Laxmikant Parsenkar, a former state BJP president and national executive member. 

The current party president in the state, Vinay Tendulkar, too evaded queries related to the funding of the mega event, saying the details had not been furnished to him yet.The BJP has virtually taken over two five-star hotels in the state capital of Panjim, apart from booking assorted accommodation in a range of other hotels in the city, where party leaders according to their designation and rank will be staying. While the Goa Marriott has been selected as the venue and main residential facility for several of its top leaders, the Vivanta by Taj, also located nearby, will host a nearly 300-strong media contingent.