Manohar Parrikar, who has been accused by the opposition of becoming Goa Chief Minister through "manipulation", today taunted Congress leader Digvijay Singh in the Rajya Sabha as he made a brief appearance there.
He said he wanted to thank Singh, who is in-charge of the Congress party's affairs in Goa, "because he was roaming around in Goa and I was able to form the Government in Goa."
The remarks came during the Zero Hour in the Rajya Sabha, where Parrikar is still a member and had gone to thank other members for their cooperation during his stint as the Defence Minister.
Parrikar spoke amid the din created by the Congress members who started protesting as soon as he entered the House.
"Sir, we cannot allow him. He killed democracy in Goa," Singh shouted pointing towards Parrikar.
Several other Congress members also shouted slogans while the BJP members thumped their tables to support Parrikar.
"I thank Deputy Chairman (P J Kurien) and others for supporting me as Raksha Mantri," Parrikar said.
However, Singh and other Congress members continued to protest, saying, "Sir, he has stolen the mandate of Goa. We will not allow him to speak."
As the Zero Hour made way for the Question Hour, Singh was heard saying, "Sir, he has stolen the mandate of the people of Goa. You have murdered democracy in Goa. He has no right to speak in this House," he said.
Many Congress members, including Rajiv Gowda, Rajni Patil and Husain Dalwai even rushed to the Well of the House to protest against Parrikar.
Meanwhile, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi quipped that Parrikar had covnveyed his special thanks to Digvijay Singh.
In Goa, the Congress had emerged as the largest party after the recently held polls but the BJP led by Parrikar managed to form the government with the support of other parties.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)