the goan I network
PANAJI
In light of multiple reports that Utpal Parrikar is set to be offered the BJP ticket for the May 19 Panjim bypoll, the Congress on Thursday questioned whether the older son of late Manohar Parrikar, was holding the BJP to ransom with the “stolen” Rafale files.
Spokesperson for the Congress Trajano D’Mello, while addressing the press at the Congress house, asked why the issue of the “stolen” Rafale files and the audio tape where Vishwajit Rane purportedly claimed they were in the bedroom of the late Chief Minister had still not been investigated.
“The files are playing an important role. They can’t be located till today. Are they being held by the Parrikar family to get a ticket for the Panjim by-election?” questioned D’Mello.
“The state BJP unit has to answer whether the files are an impediment to give the ticket to an honest worker of the party,” he said. He also said that while the BJP had all investigation agencies, they couldn’t locate the files.
Further, the Congress spokesperson questioned what was the political criteria for Utpal to join politics. “They’ve never been in politics before,” he said, referring to both Utpal and his brother, Abhijat.
D’Mello also questioned whether once Utpal joined politics and got the party ticket for the bypoll, he would want the CM’s post to continue his father’s “legacy.”
While Utpal is yet to join formal politics, he has been asked by BJP’s organisational secretary Satish Dhond to campaign for Shripad Naik for the North Goa Lok Sabha seat.
Meanwhile, the Congress also slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the contents of his address in Goa on Wednesday. “The PM only spoke of late Parrikar,” said D’Mello. “He did not so much as utter the name of Union Minister Shripad Naik. It is like the ghost of Manohar Parrikar is still haunting the PM,” D’Mello said adding that the “ghost of Parrikar” referred to the Rafale files which he claimed were still in the residence of the
late CM.
