Indian supporters of Brazil travel in an open truck, displaying a group photograph of Brazilian players in Bangalore on June 12, 2014. (AP Photo)
Six Goa MLAs who are at the centre of a major controversy over a Rs 90-lakh junket to Brazil, have now decided to pay for the trip at the end of this month to watch the FIFA World Cup.
"We will bear the cost ourselves. We have realized we should not take tax payers' money for this," said Goa Fisheries Minister Avertano Furtado, one of the six politicians who will travel to Brazil on what the state government has called a "study tour." (
Watch - Goa MLAs go to Brazil at Taxpayers' Expense: 'Study' Tour Justified?)The Congress, which has alleged that Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar is misusing public funds by sanctioning the trip, is unimpressed. "They have made a U-turn. But the government has to come clean on this. The Congress demands that the notification that the MLAs are going on their own be made public," said Goa Congress spokesman Durgadas Kamat. The party had demanded yesterday that the trip be cancelled.
"Yesterday Narendra Modi spoke in Parliament about sanitation, house and water for poor people and today his own government in Goa is investing 89 lakhs so that his MLAs can go and watch a football match," the party's Rashid Alvi said on Thursday.
Defending the trip Mr Parrikar had said, "The decision has been taken in the interest of Goa, football is our state sport. Some MLAs on the team are ex-footballers."
Apart from the Fisheries Minister, Goa Sports Minister Ramesh Tawadkar, Power Minister Milind Naik and three MLAs will travel to Brazil to watch matches to be held at the end of this month.
The delegation has no sportsman or anyone connected with football either, though the tiny state has given India some of its leading national football stars.
Two of Goa's former footballers, Bruno Coutinho, and Brahmanand Shankhwalkar, both Arjuna award winners, had reportedly asked if they could be sent to Brazil to watch the tournament. Sources said Mr Coutinho's name was on an initial list for the trip but was dropped.
The final of the tournament will be played in Rio on July 13. India is ranked a poor 154 in world football, but lakhs of fans eagerly await the World Cup held every four years.