Parrikar to come back to Goa from hospital soon, says BJP leader

Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar

Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar will "come back soon" to the coastal state, a senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said Saturday. A senior state minister earlier in the day said administrative work was not being hampered as Parrikar was clearing official files from New Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), where he was admitted for a pancreatic ailment.

"The chief minister will come back soon. We are not able to tell you the exact date of his arrival," Goa BJP president Vinay Tendulkar said, adding that local leaders will go to Delhi next week to meet Parrikar. "The chief minister is clearing all the files from the hospital. Whatever files are being sent, he is clearing them within two-three days. No files are pending," said state Public Works Department (PWD) Minister Sudin Dhavalikar. He was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a function, where a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed with the Portuguese government on water supply and sanitation.

Dhavalikar said according to Parrikar's directions, the state cabinet members will hold a review meeting every Wednesday to discuss administrative issues. After that, a report on the meeting will be placed before the chief minister, he added "All the ministers are capable of holding the (respective) charge. We are handling all the issues of the state," Dhavalikar said, adding that "the administrative work is being monitored by the chief secretary". Parrikar, 62, is admitted in the AIIMS since September 15. He had earlier undergone treatment in the US.

The political situation in Goa has attracted a lot of attention in the last few weeks due to Parrikar's absence from office. Over a week ago, a three-member BJP team had visited the coastal state to assess the political situation there. After the visit, the BJP had said Parrikar will continue to head the saffron party-led government in Goa. The Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), to which Dhavalikar belongs, the Goa Forward Party (GFP), the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and three Independents are backing the BJP-led government in the state.

A few days ago, the Congress legislators in the state had met Governor Mridula Sinha and demanded a floor test by the BJP-led government to prove its majority in the Assembly in view of Parrikar's absence. However, the BJP and its allies have maintained that they have the numbers and there is no threat to the government. In the 40-member Goa Assembly, the Congress has 16 seats, followed by the BJP (14). The state is being ruled by the saffron party with the support of the GFP (three MLAs), MGP (three MLAs), Independents (three) and NCP (one MLA).

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