Parrikar flags off ‘Mission Salcete’

MARGAOrApparently taking the electoral rout of the party and its alliance partners in Salcete in the February 4 Assembly election in his stride, Chief Minister, Manohar Parrikar has flagged off party’s ‘Mission Salcete’ on Sunday in an apparent bid to re-establish the party in the minority heartland. r “This is not Manohar Parrikar’s Mission Salcete, but the mission of the party, which has undertaken an all Goa Mission to make Goa a model state,” Parrikar said, amidst shouting of slogans by party workers. r “Mission Salcete has begun from today. Mission Goa has also begun and it is our dream to make Goa a model State. This has started with South Goa office of the BJP,” Parrikar said. r What’s significant to note is while flagging Mission Salcete on Sunday, the Chief Minister made it a point to clarify that Salcete Mission will not be Parrikar’s mission, but that of the Party. r This is the first time since his return from Delhi that Parrikar has publicly announced the commencement of Mission Salcete programme. During his visit to Sonsodo a month and half ago, Parrikar had clarified to the media that his visit has nothing to do with Mission Salcete. r The BJP and its alliance partners, including Salcete’s former lone Minister, Avertano Furtado, Benjamin D’Silva and others, had to bite the dust in the Assembly election. In fact, the BJP could not win a single seat out of the eight seats at stake in Salcete in the Assembly election. While the BJP had failed to retain the Cuncolim seat, party’s efforts to regain the seats of Fatorda and Margao had come a cropper.