the goan I network
PANAJI
Mapusa legislator and former Deputy Chief Minister of Goa Francis D’Souza passed away at the Healthway hospital in Old Goa on Thursday afternoon.
Ailing for some time, the 64-year-old D’Souza breathed his last at the hospital’s ICU early Thursday afternoon, his family sources said.
He had been admitted to the Healthway hospital in January-end. His condition suddenly deteriorated about a week ago when the team of doctors put him on ventilator support.
Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar tweeted his condolences saying: “Extremely pained to hear about the demise of my dear childhood friend, colleague & former Dy. CM of Goa Adv. Francis D’Souza. A wonderful human being & a leader loved by all. He devoted himself to public service. His demise is a great personal loss.”
Parrikar also expressed sympathies to his family in an additional tweet.
Meanwhile, the State government has declared a public holiday on Friday besides three days of State mourning in Goa from Friday. A notification said the Government of Goa express profound sorrow on the sad demise of the former Deputy Chief Minister.
D’Souza, the ruling BJP’s tallest minority leader, had been diagnosed with colon cancer last year. He then flew to the United States where surgery was performed at the globally acclaimed Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre in New York. He returned to Goa in three months. but not before he had lost his job as a minister in the State cabinet.
D’Souza and Pandurang Madkaikar, another legislator who is ailing with a serious illness, were dropped on health grounds and two new BJP ministers - Milind Naik and Nilesh Cabral - were inducted in their place.
D’Souza had reacted angrily to the development and targeted Parrikar for showing no decency of even informing him of his move to drop him from the cabinet.
Meanwhile several other political leaders also issued messages of condolence and eulogy.
TCP Minister and Goa Forward president, Vijai Sardesai said: “Francis or Babush as I knew him, was a man of simple living and high thinking who not only understood the mind of the masses but also was in touch with them constantly.
Sardesai also said he hoped to see all his stellar qualities in D’Souza’s son Joshua as he should take the social work “Babush has done for the people of Goa forward.”
ADEUS FRANCIS
1954-2019
Francis D’Souza was admitted to hospital in January-end and put on ventilator support
D’Souza, the ruling BJP’s tallest minority leader, had been diagnosed with colon cancer last year
He underwent surgery at the renowned Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre in New York
He returned to Goa in three months, but not before he had lost his job as a minister in cabinet
From Councillor
to Deputy CM
1 Not many are aware that Babush started his political career with the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party and was also elected as the general secretary of the party’s youth wing.
2 He was first elected as the councillor of Mapusa Municipal Council in 1985 and, interestingly, on a panel that was backed by MGP.
3 Twice, he was elected as the chairperson of MMC, first in 1986 and again in his second term in the council in 1998. >> See pg 2
