Parrikar has deserted Goa: Congress

The Goa Congress on Monday accused Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar of deserting the state after he left for Mumbai to seek medical treatment.

The ailing Chief Minister left behind a committee of three senior ministers to handle administrative decisions.

"We are going to have a state ruled by three Chief Ministers at a given time. Imagine the chaos," Congress state president Shantaram Naik told reporters at the party's state headquarters.

"This is a clear violation of business rules. We wish him well in his medical treatment... he has deserted Goa."

Naik also said that the state would now be ruled by "three musketeers" in Parrikar's absence.

A three-member ministerial committee will take major administrative decisions, while Parrikar is expected to conduct cabinet meetings via video conference, something the Congress is not in favour of.

"Goa is hostage to the whims of one individual. Things are very precarious," Naik said, adding that because Parrikar does not trust any of his ruling allies, he had failed to deputise or swear-in an alternative Chief Minister.

"The Chief Minister should come out with a clear statement on his health. It will be helpful for Goa. The current arrangement is unconstitutional," Naik also said.

Parrikar will be admitted to Lilavati Hospital in Mumbai once again before possibly being shifted to the US for further treatment.

The Chief Minister's Office has maintained that Parrikar is suffering from "mild pancreatitis" for which he was admitted to the Mumbai hospital on February 15.

After his return to Goa on February 22, the Chief Minister was again shifted to a local government-run health facility for a week, before being discharged last week.

--IANS

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