Parrikar, 4-time Goa CM and ex-defence minister, no more
Crisis Deepens In State, BJP Says It Has Numbers
Vijay.Desouza@timesgroup.com
Panaji:18.03.2019
Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar, whose stature far outgrew the small state he led with flair and distinction, passed away at 63 on Sunday evening after a long battle with pancreatic cancer, deepening the political uncertainty in the state where BJP leads a fragile coalition with arazor thin majority.
The four-time CM and former Union defence minister, who was ailing for some time, attended office almost to the last day and recently presented the budget, embodying a no-nonsense approach that was his hallmark. Despite his illness, BJP persisted with Parrikar who seemed the most capable in steering a coalition in a state where smaller parties are seen to hold the balance.
The BJP brass dispatched senior leader Nitin Gadkari to Goa to take stock and weigh options. Congress had already staked claim on Saturday, arguing the government had lost majority and its numbers could fall further. It said the demise of BJP MLA Francis D’Souza had eroded its numbers.
On Sunday, Goa Congress again wrote to governor Mridula Sinha staking claim to form the government. Terming Parrikar’s demise as “unfortunate”, leader of the opposition Chandrakant Kavlekar said BJP “has no allies as of now” as coalition partners had allied with the saffron party on the condition that Parrikar heads the government. “Congress being the single largest party, it is submitted that the leader of the Congress legislative party is invited to form the next government,” he said.
While there is no clarity on Parrikar’s successor, the swearing-in ceremony of the new CM is slated around 9.30 am on Monday, deputy speaker Michael Lobo said.
Gadkari was expected to reach Goa late on Sunday night and is scheduled to meet leaders and coalition partners. With Parrikar’s demise, the strength of the Goa assembly is 36 with BJP now having 12 MLAs. With three MLAs each of Maharashtra Gomantak Party and Goa Forward Party and three independents, the coalition just about has a majority in the House.
Parrikar fielded Christians, broke political fault lines
The contenders for the CM’s post are seen to be Union Ayush minister Shripad Naik, Goa speaker Pramod Sawant, health minister Vishwajit Rane and state BJP president Vinay Tendulkar.
The BJP parliamentary board is expected to meet on Monday to condole Parrikar’s death and may also take a view on the way ahead in terms of the leadership.
Parrikar’s demise was condoled across the political spectrum, testifying to the leader’s reputation as an affable but tough administrator. Despite his image as unbending on rules, he was a successful coalition builder, having formed a majority government when he reached out to the Catholic community and fielded Christian candidates in 2012 and broke the state’s political fault lines.
Parrikar’s reputation was embellished by his stint as defence minister at the Centre where he led the ministry with a hands-on approach and worked to ensure transparent procedures in high value purchases. He had a role in speeding up the Rafale acquisition.
This led to Congress chief Rahul Gandhi alleging that he was under pressure to hide wrongdoings. Rahul met him briefly in January and claimed that Parrikar said he had no hand in the “new” Rafale deal. Parrikar flatly denied discussing the issue in a conversation that lasted a few minutes. The surgical strikes on terror launch pads in PoK took place during his tenure in 2017.
The IITian who became a politician breathed his last at 6.15pm on Sunday. He was 63.
Parrikar was diagnosed with cancer in February 2018, and since then Goa’s politics turned more turbulent. With Parrikar gone, Goa’s politics will never be the same again.
Full report on www.toi.in
TN BJP & MNM leaders condole Parrikar’s demise
Chennai:
Tamil Nadu BJP president Tamilisai Soundararajan condoled the death of Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar on Sunday. She said he gave precedence to people and their concerns and continued to serve them till his last breath despite his ill-health. He could establish the BJP government in Goa because of his goodwill and humility, she said in a statement.
Paying tributes to Parrikar, Makkal Needhi Maiam leader Kamal Haasan tweeted: “He was a ‘good and gentleman’. Not even cancer can kill a spirit like @manoharparrikar… As will the Nation, I too will remember him (sic).” TNN
Crisis Deepens In State, BJP Says It Has Numbers
Vijay.Desouza@timesgroup.com
Panaji:18.03.2019
Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar, whose stature far outgrew the small state he led with flair and distinction, passed away at 63 on Sunday evening after a long battle with pancreatic cancer, deepening the political uncertainty in the state where BJP leads a fragile coalition with arazor thin majority.
The four-time CM and former Union defence minister, who was ailing for some time, attended office almost to the last day and recently presented the budget, embodying a no-nonsense approach that was his hallmark. Despite his illness, BJP persisted with Parrikar who seemed the most capable in steering a coalition in a state where smaller parties are seen to hold the balance.
The BJP brass dispatched senior leader Nitin Gadkari to Goa to take stock and weigh options. Congress had already staked claim on Saturday, arguing the government had lost majority and its numbers could fall further. It said the demise of BJP MLA Francis D’Souza had eroded its numbers.
On Sunday, Goa Congress again wrote to governor Mridula Sinha staking claim to form the government. Terming Parrikar’s demise as “unfortunate”, leader of the opposition Chandrakant Kavlekar said BJP “has no allies as of now” as coalition partners had allied with the saffron party on the condition that Parrikar heads the government. “Congress being the single largest party, it is submitted that the leader of the Congress legislative party is invited to form the next government,” he said.
While there is no clarity on Parrikar’s successor, the swearing-in ceremony of the new CM is slated around 9.30 am on Monday, deputy speaker Michael Lobo said.
Gadkari was expected to reach Goa late on Sunday night and is scheduled to meet leaders and coalition partners. With Parrikar’s demise, the strength of the Goa assembly is 36 with BJP now having 12 MLAs. With three MLAs each of Maharashtra Gomantak Party and Goa Forward Party and three independents, the coalition just about has a majority in the House.
Parrikar fielded Christians, broke political fault lines
The contenders for the CM’s post are seen to be Union Ayush minister Shripad Naik, Goa speaker Pramod Sawant, health minister Vishwajit Rane and state BJP president Vinay Tendulkar.
The BJP parliamentary board is expected to meet on Monday to condole Parrikar’s death and may also take a view on the way ahead in terms of the leadership.
Parrikar’s demise was condoled across the political spectrum, testifying to the leader’s reputation as an affable but tough administrator. Despite his image as unbending on rules, he was a successful coalition builder, having formed a majority government when he reached out to the Catholic community and fielded Christian candidates in 2012 and broke the state’s political fault lines.
Parrikar’s reputation was embellished by his stint as defence minister at the Centre where he led the ministry with a hands-on approach and worked to ensure transparent procedures in high value purchases. He had a role in speeding up the Rafale acquisition.
This led to Congress chief Rahul Gandhi alleging that he was under pressure to hide wrongdoings. Rahul met him briefly in January and claimed that Parrikar said he had no hand in the “new” Rafale deal. Parrikar flatly denied discussing the issue in a conversation that lasted a few minutes. The surgical strikes on terror launch pads in PoK took place during his tenure in 2017.
The IITian who became a politician breathed his last at 6.15pm on Sunday. He was 63.
Parrikar was diagnosed with cancer in February 2018, and since then Goa’s politics turned more turbulent. With Parrikar gone, Goa’s politics will never be the same again.
Full report on www.toi.in
TN BJP & MNM leaders condole Parrikar’s demise
Chennai:
Tamil Nadu BJP president Tamilisai Soundararajan condoled the death of Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar on Sunday. She said he gave precedence to people and their concerns and continued to serve them till his last breath despite his ill-health. He could establish the BJP government in Goa because of his goodwill and humility, she said in a statement.
Paying tributes to Parrikar, Makkal Needhi Maiam leader Kamal Haasan tweeted: “He was a ‘good and gentleman’. Not even cancer can kill a spirit like @manoharparrikar… As will the Nation, I too will remember him (sic).” TNN
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