Addressing a press conference at its party headquarters, Goa Congress chief Girish Chodankar on Saturday said the BJP is forced to continue with Manohar Parrikar as Chief Minister because he is privy to many details about the Rafale deal.
The Congress party objected to a cabinet meeting of the Goa government that took place last Friday at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), in Delhi where Mr. Parrikar is under treatment and claimed that there is a constitutional breakdown in Goa.
For a full time CM
Mr Chodankar said either the BJP should appoint a full time Chief Minister or take a floor test to prove its majority.
“I don’t have any doubt in my mind that that Manohar Parrikar ji was the Defence Minister when the Rafale deal was struck. As the Defence Minister, many files were with him, many documents were with him. We have no doubt that the moment the Prime Minister or the BJP President pressurises him or tries to remove him, Manohar Parrikar will not keep quiet. He will reveal all these information which can expose our Prime Minister,” the Goa Congress chief told reporters.
He said though the Congress party wishes a speedy recovery to Mr Parrikar, governance in the State has been paralysed for nine months.
“They [BJP] had sent one team to Goa about 15 days back and they had promised to the people of Goa a new Chief Minister. They held meetings, met the allies and then suddenly Amit Shah ji tweeted Mr Parrikar will continue even as governance has come to a standstill,”Mr Chodankar.
Governor silent
He said though Congress leaders had met Goa Governor Mridula Sinha several times, she was yet to take a decision.
“We have been demanding with the honourable Governor to call for a one day session to prove the majority. Even BJP president in Goa Vinay Tendulkar has said they did not have majority since three MLAs are in hospital…We can prove our majority in one day,” Mr Chodankar said.
