It looks like Congress is hell bent on acquiring power in the state of Goa by any possible means, and has made this a matter of their prestige. In their bid to usurp power in Goa, the Congress spread the news that ex Defence Minister and current CM of Goa, Shri Manohar Parrikar, is not only dead, but that BJP is deliberately trying to hide this news from everyone.
It all started when Congress spokesperson [Goa unit] Jitendra Deshprabhu alleged that Manohar Parrikar, who is currently suffering from pancreatic cancer, has died and that a coterie of BJP loving bureaucrats has taken over the government illegally.
To quote the spokesperson, “Yes, we are taking that call. It is an extreme call that the honourable Chief Minister may not be there at all………..a coterie of officials around the Chief Minister were ‘illegally’ taking decisions in his absence. BJP and BJP led coalition should prove that Manohar Parrikar is alive.”
Needless to say, this enraged the BJP unit at Goa and they went hammer and tongs after the Congress and the spokesperson Jitendra Deshprabhu. As the Congress spokesperson accused the media of trying to play down the severity of Parrikar’s ailment, Goa BJP General Secretary Sadanand Shet Tanavade made an effective retort that “Deshprabhu must be frustrated if he is making statements like this”.
For Goa Congress, ever since Manohar Parrikar re-took his oath as the Goa CM, his existence has been like a thorn in their path to power. Despite winning the most number of seats, the Congress unit had failed to stake claim for the government, and the other parties decided to ally on the condition that Manohar Parrikar would be the CM of Goa.
As a result, the man who as India’s Defence Minister broke the protocol to assist the armed forces in their surgical strikes against Pakistani terrorists resigned from his post to once again become the CM of Goa.
However, ever since Manohar Parrikar has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, Congress has been fighting tooth and nail to usurp power by any cost. When he was treating himself at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, the Congress party tried to meet the Governor in order to stake claim for dissolution of assembly, which was strongly resented by other parties, as well as the masses.
Ever since Shri Parrikar was discharged from AIIMS on October 14, he hasn’t made a public appearance. Unfortunately, by such tactics as employed currently in Goa, the Congress wants to repeat the same blunder their ancestors did in the early 80s, when Andhra Pradesh CM and Telugu superstar NT Rama Rao had visited USA for his heart surgery, the then Governor of Andhra Pradesh dissolved his government at the behest of the Congress MLAs and the top brass.
Unfortunately, their agenda backfired, and owing to massive public support, NTR was restored to power within a month of his removal, much to the chagrin of the then PM Indira Gandhi, who perceived as a threat to her might. It looks like Congress has seriously learnt nothing from their previous mistakes, and wishes to usurp power in the same way in the state in Goa. We seriously hope that Manohar Parrikar recovers well in time and restores the state administration.