Manohar Parrikar health updates: BJP central leadership worried about future course of action in Goa, says report

BJP MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar prays for Parrikar’s speedy recovery

Praying for @manoharparrikar ji ‘s health n speedy recovery 🙏🏻🙏🏻 https://t.co/totohKcoy0

— Rajeev Chandrasekhar 🇮🇳 (@RajeevRC_X) September 15, 2018

Mehbooba Mufti expresses concern over Parrikar’s health

Sad to know about @manoharparrikar jis deteriorating health. Praying for a speedy recovery and hope the media respects his need for privacy at this tough time.

— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) September 15, 2018

Independent allies, too, oppose handing over charge to one person in absence of Parrikar

Independent legislator and State Civil Supplies Minister Govind Gawade has opposed handing over the charge to seniormost minister when Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar is away for treatment.

 “Question does not arise of giving charge to senior minister. What is important is his capability to handle the charge,” Gawade said. Gawade said that MGP has a right to demand anything but they should also check their past history. MGP in the past had former government with Congress.

Input from Rupesh Samant/101Reporters

Alliance partners uneasy in Parrikar’s absence

Minutes after Parrikar took off for Delhi, news broke that the BJP ally MGP wants the senior-most minister as interim chief minister, understandably because MGP leader and PWD minister Sudin Dhavalikar would fit that description. 

However Goa Forward Party and Independent supporters of the government have also objected to an arrangement where single person gets charge in Parrikar’s absence

Mamata Banerjee expresses concern over Manohar Parrikar’s declining health

Concerned about the health of Goa Chief Minister, Manohar Parrikar. My prayers to give him and his family the strength at this difficult time

— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) September 15, 2018

Goa Congress says watching all political developments minutely

Congress, which is the main opposition party Goa legislative assembly, today said that they are watching all the political developments minutely.

“As far as political development is concerned it is internal matter of alliance of convenience. Nothing is clear. We don’t know whether cm is stepping down or not. We are watching the development very minutely in the interest of Goa,” Goa Pradesh Congress Committee President Girish Chodankar said.

Input by Rupesh Samant/101Reporters

BJP ally Goa Forward Party rejects MGP’s suggestion on interim CM

As BJP alliance partner MGP pressed on to name the senior-most minister the interim chief minister, another ally in the gvernment, Goa Forward Party raised strong objectios to MGP’s demand.

“In alliance, the decisions are taken collectively.  When Parrikar formed Cabinet Advisory Committee (CAC) when he left for USA for first time, he took all the alliance partners into it,” recalled Sardesai.

Sardesai said that Parrikar had not given charge to seniormost member of the House even when he was in the USA.

“Why should be the charge given now? Parrikar is running the government and there is no vacancy that is created,” Sardesai commented.

Input by Rupesh Samant/101Reporters

As CM steps out of Goa, allies differ over interim arrangement to run govt arise 

Goa Forward Party, another BJP ally, has said that there is no question of handing over charge to seniormost member of the House.

Party President and State Agriculture Minister Vijai Sardesai said that issue of handing over the charge does not come.

“What can I comment on the statement of MGP? Everything that MGP wants need not happen,” he said. 

He was reacting to the statement of MGP president Deepak Dhavalikar who demanded that seniormost cabinet minister be made interim CM.

Input by Rupesh Samant/101Reporters

How Parrikar handled Goa’s governance in his absence

Parrikar had visited three times this year to treat a pancreatic ailment.

During his three-month-long treatment in the US, Parrikar had formed a Cabinet Advisory Committee of ministers Sudin Dhavalikar, Francis D’Souza and Vijai Sardesai to look after governance.

However, he chose to simply delegate his powers to the chief secretary to handle important issues, during his second and third visits to the US.

Parrikar admitted to AIIMS’ gastonomic department

According to reports, Parrikar has been admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi under Dr Pramod Garg’s care, who is head of the department of Gastroenterology. 

“He is being examined by a team of doctors and will undergo a few tests,” a source told PTI.

Parrikar suffers from advanced stage of pancreatic cancer and has been undergoing treatment for the past seven months.

Meanwhile… ally MGP signals chief ministerial ambitions, says high time Parrikar relinquishes post

PTI reported that the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), an alliance partner in the Goa government, is signalling that its leader harbours chief ministerial ambitions, even if for the interim period. Speaking to the news channel, party’s president Deepak Dhavalikar said that it was ‘high time’ Parrikar handed over charge to to the “seniormost minister” for smooth functioning of the government.

Dhavalikar said Parrikar can remain the chief minister and hand over the charge to someone else in his absence.

When asked that by seniormost minister, does he mean his brother Sudin Dhavalikar, Deepak said that he won’t name anybody. “They should tell who is the seniormost,” he said.

BJP to hold meet in Goa, will explore further options

According to a report in  NDTV, the BJP will send a team to Goa on Monday to “explore alternatives” as Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar’s health remains worrying. The sources revealed that the immediate agenda of the panel will be to look for a ‘stand-in’ for Parrikar, till such there is more clarity over his health. 

The party had also held a  a meeting of its state-level core committee on Friday. While the party did not reveal details of the meeting, a participant, on condition of anonymity, told PTI it was a “general meeting” which discussed the “existing political situation” in Goa. The party’s core committee, which met at Mapusa, comprised three Members of Parliament from the state (two Lok Sabha and one Rajya Sabha) as well as senior leaders. The core committee also later met Parrikar.

Parrikar to continue as CM: Goa Deputy Speaker Michael Lobo 

Goa deputy speaker Michael Lobo has dismissed speculations on Parrikar’s health stating that the 62-year-old BJP leader will continue to be the chief minister. However, some of the portfolios he manages will be distributed among his cabinet colleagues to ease his work load.

Parrikar to fly to Delhi via special aircraft 

News18 reported that ailing Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar was shifted to New Delhi for treatment in a special chartered flight for further treatment and examination at the All India Institute for Medical Sciences (AIIMS). The report said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had arranged for a special aircraft for Parrikar to be flown to Delhi.

Parrikar held meetings with BJP allies while in hospital

According to News18, Parrikar met the members of BJP’s alliance partners, Goa Forward Party and  Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party to discuss the transition of power, in case his health necessitates it for him to quit. 

Parrikar is considered to be the binding force of the umbrella alliance, which was hurriedly stitched together to form governemnt in Goa, despite Congress emerging as the single-largest party. He was serving as India’s defence minister at the time, but he was sent back to his home state to take charge after the BJP failed to get a clear majority in the Assembly polls.

Parrikar had expressed desire to quit as Goa CM

Various media reports have quoted BJP sources as saying that Manohar Parrikar, in his latest telephonic conversation with BJP national president Amit Shah expressed his inability to continue as Goa chief minister owing to his failing health. 

The BJP has meanwhile come out to say that Parrikar will remain in charge for now. However, to reduce his work burden, portfolios will be distributed among the existing ministers.

Manohar Parrikar to fly to Delhi for treatment

Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar, who was admitted to a hospital in Candolim on Thursday, will be moved to New Delhi’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) for further treatment on Saturday. Suffering from a chronic pancreatic ailment, Parrikar has been in and out of hospitals for the past seven months.