the goan I network
PANAJI
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday rejected criticism that ailing Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar’s visit to the sites of the two under-construction Mandovi and Zuari bridges on Sunday was a stunt and accused the Congress of playing indecent politics.
BJP General Secretary Sadanand Tanavade said, the Congress is playing politics with the issue of Parrikar’s recuperation and asserted that its leaders will henceforth not be allowed to meet the Chief Minister.
“The manner in which the Congress played politics on his health is inhuman. They should not do this. If the Congress had sought an appointment from us, we would have allowed it. But they did not. All they wanted to do was indulge in politics... Now we will not allow a meeting with the CM,” Sadanand Shet Tanavde said at a press conference he addressed at the party headquarters.
He said for the last two months Congress played “inhuman” and “insensitive” politics. They took a morcha to his residence, made political statements at public meetings and also went to court.
Parrikar, who is battling advanced pancreatic cancer since February has undergone treatment in hospitals in Goa, Mumbai, New York and Delhi. He had been confined to his private residence in Dona Paula since his return from AIIMS Delhi mid-October and made his first public appearance with his visit to the two bridge sites on Sunday afternoon.
Tanavade said the issue of the Chief Minister’s health is now closed after his Sunday tour of the two bridge sites.
“There is no question of a stunt. If we had to do a stunt, it could have been done 15 days or a month ago... Court matter is different and this is different,” Tanavde told reporters on Monday, after he was asked if Parrikar’s surprise public appearance was a “stunt” due to the pending matter before the Bombay High Court.
He also said that Parrikar wished to conduct the inspection on his birthday (December 13), but “for some reason, it did not happen. Parrikar’s recovery was for people to see and the Chief Minister is fit to govern the state, he added.
He said, the High Court order confirmed that the two leaders Dayanand Sopte and Subhash Shirodkar were taken in the BJP party by following legal procedure.
While commenting on the government’s victory in the High Court in the matter of the petition filed by the MGP, Tanavde said they were confident about it all through.
He also informed that as a part of nationwide campaign of BJP against the Congress allegations in the Rafale deal, BJP national vice-president Vinay Sahastradudde will hold a press conference in Panaji on Tuesday.
BJP will give a memorandum on December 20 to both the district collectors in this regard and will also hold protests on December 21.
