PANAJI: Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on Tuesday directed the police to go all out to track down those responsible for the recent incidents of desecration of religious symbols of Catholics and Hindus in South Goa.
Talking to presspersons after a meeting with top police officers, Mr. Parrikar said, “The way the cases are happening in a particular belt in South Goa, it gives a suspicion that “this is a deliberate and sinister attempt, systematically planned mischief to create some kind of a tension in the State.”
Earlier in the day, Mr. Parrikar told The Hindu that he suspected this was a mischief of some communal- minded elements ahead of the Assembly by-polls.
Mr. Parrikar, who took over as Chief Minister in March by forming a government with the help of small parties and independents as the party won only 13 seats in the Assembly polls, has to get elected from Panaji, a seat vacated by his party MLA Siddarth Kuncolienkar. Vishwajeet Rane who resigned from Congress as an MLA and became a minister in Parrikar government will contest from Valpoi constituency in north Goa. The elections are expected to be held in August-end.
Rajya Sabha candidate
Mr. Parrikar who will be leaving for the US on a personal visit on Thursday said he was in the process of discussing the candidate for Rajya Sabha with allies and would announce the same by Wednesday afternoon.
The Chief Minister declined to comment on the controversy over BJP national president Amit Shah’s public meeting in the Dabolim airport on Sunday.
When asked if next year’s DefExpo would be held in Goa, Mr. Parrikar said there was no proposal from the Defence Ministry.
“I will consider it, if and when it comes,” he said and added that personally he felt that DefExpo helps people financially as there was a lot of spending on the event. However, the government will decide as and when a proposal comes.
