A day after Goa Power Minister Pandurang Madkaikar was operated on in a Mumbai hospital following a brain stroke, the AAP on Wednesday sarcastically demanded that the Goa Governor should grant "sick leave" to the BJP-led government in the state.
"In Goa ... with key functionaries falling sick, it is required of them to avail sick leave from work for faster recovery, as was the case with other government servants. Wondering what is compelling them not to stay away from work," Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)'s state convener Elvis Gomes said in a statement.
Madkaikar continues to be under observation at Mumbai's Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital following his surgery on Tuesday, while Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar is undergoing advanced treatment for pancreatic cancer in the United States.
Similarly, state Urban Development Minister Francis D'Souza, who has been suffering from a prolonged illness, is currently holidaying in Portugal and will be away for a month.
"AAP Goa said that it is normal for any government servant to fall sick, but in such a case a provision is made for a doctor to recommend rest from work for specified periods depending upon each case," Gomes said.
The same principle should be applied to ministers too, he said while wishing the ailing political functionaries fast recovery.
--IANS
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