The Congress in Goa on Thursday demanded a detailed medical bulletin on the health of the ailing Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, who in the early hours of Thursday was rushed to U.S. for treatment.
Congress spokesperson Vijay Bhike at a press conference told Goa BJP to spell out Mr. Parrikar’s health issues within 24 hours. He alleged that Mr. Parrikar was being “obstinate” and not relinquishing the post of Chief Minister despite grave health concerns only to ensure that a Bahujan Samaj (non-Brahmin in Goa’s context) leader does not become chief minister.
“There is no medical statement from the Sloan Kettering Memorial Hospital where the Chief Minister has been taking treatment for months altogether, at the expense of the State. There is also no medical statement from Lilavati Hospital or from the doctors treating the Chief Minister about the exact nature of his illness,” Mr. Bhike said at the Congress headquarters here.
Accusing the BJP of fooling the people of Goa by calling Mr. Parrikar’s sickness a minor ailment, he said, “Have the courage to come out with the medical papers.”
Mr. Bhike went on to slam the BJP for paralysing the administration due to the inability of Mr. Parrikar to oversee it. “In the case of the Chief Minister there appears to be no substitute, looks like the State is sub-let to Mr. Parrikar. Why is it so? This is nothing but sheer obstinacy and a dictatorial tendency,” he said.
This charge by the Congress spokesperson comes a day after Union Minister of State for Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH) Shripad Naik did not rule out a return to State politics. Mr. Naik was speaking in the context of the ongoing crisis triggered by the failing health of Mr.Parrikar, and three other cabinet ministers, who are also suffering from serious ailments.
However, the Chief Minister’s Office and the BJP has maintained that Mr. Parrikar is recovering well and that his return to the U.S. for the third time in six months for treatment was only on account of a minor complication.
