Panaji, Aug 22 (IANS) Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders in Goa will now have to answer to the central leadership about their reluctance to hold Chief Minister Digambar Kamat responsible for the numerous multi-crore scams in the ministries he controls.

Replying to a question about the state opposition party leadership's handling of Kamat with kid gloves, BJP secretary and Goa in charge Arti Mehra Sunday told reporters that she would ask her party officials to explain their actions.

'I have just taken charge. I will ask them about it. I will reserve my opinion until I know the exact picture,' said Mehra, who was on her first official visit to Goa.

In the recent past, BJP leaders, including state party president Laxmikant Parsenkar and Leader of Opposition Manohar Parrikar, have exposed several multi-crore scandals in the mining, excise and information and publicity departments, governed by ministries held by Kamat.

However, the BJP leaders have invariably failed to hold the Congress chief minister directly responsible for the scams, indicating that the opposition has a soft-corner for Kamat, a former BJP member and a powerful minister in the party-led coalition government until 2004.

Kamat currently heads the Congress-led coalition government in Goa, while the BJP is the only opposition party in the 40-member state assembly.