Parrikar cites 16-hour work day to justify frequent Goa visits

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has sought to justify his frequent weekend visits to Goa after joining the union cabinet, saying that people in New Delhi are not used to keeping pace with his 16-hour work schedule and that if he works for eight days at a stretch, there is no more work to do in his ministry.

"My defence (ministry)-related work is in order... In Delhi, people are not used to working 16 hours a day. Therefore, if I stay there for eight days, all the work is over," Parrikar said at a function in the coastal village of Calangute late on Sunday.

His justification came days after a collage of photos showing him inaugurating a mobile fish stall here on the same day that Prime Minister Narendra Modi finalized the Rafale fighter jet deal during his France visit went viral on the social media.

"It is difficult to sit in office on Sunday because there is no one in office. People have to be specially called and because it is a defence-related office it is locked and sealed," he said, citing reasons for arriving in Goa over weekends.

Ever since he moved from being Goa chief minister to defence minister last year, Parrikar has normally made it a point to arrive in Goa late Friday and leave for Delhi late Sunday or Monday morning, sometimes even landing in Goa on weekdays.

The defence ministry also maintains a camp office in a government complex here.

Parrikar also blamed his critics for comments about his constant Goa visits, claiming they were jealous.

"While going to Delhi, I had said that I will be in Goa for four to five days. My house is here. Are some people trying to say I should not come home?" he said, adding that he will continue to involve himself in Goa politics in order to ensure that the state gets a government which is good for its people.