Panaji: The Congress on Wednesday demanded that the Goa government come clean on the nature of Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar’s illness. They said with Mr. Parrikar being in and out of hospitals in Mumbai and Goa for nearly a fortnight, the administration stands paralysed.
Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters here, Goa Pradesh Congress Committe president Shantaram Naik said the fact that Mr. Parrikar did not delegate responsibilities of the Chief Minister’s Office or depute any of his Ministers to oversee government functioning, proves that he does not trust any Minister, either from his party or allies.
“We have sympathies for Mr. Parrikar and our party has all along cooperated with the government even during the Assembly session, but the Chief Minister should be transparent about his illness. He should be true to the people of Goa who have elected him,” Mr. Naik said. He pointed out that CM holds more than 20 portfolios, which include critical ministries like Home, Mining, and Finance, among others. “With him in hospital, administration and decision-making in all these ministries has come to a standstill. The State has been effectively headless for the last 15 days,” Mr. Naik said.
Mr. Parrikar was admitted to Lilavati Hospital in Mumbai on February 15 and his office said he was being treated for “mild pancreatitis”. He came back to Goa on February 22 and presented the annual budget in the Assembly. He was admitted to GMC on Sunday due to dehydration and low BP.
