Parrikar lacks moral right to sack DRDO chief: Goa Congress

The Goa Congress Wednesday said Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar lacks the moral right to sack the DRDO chief, having given service extension to 30 retiring officials during his tenure as the state's chief minister.

As Goa chief minister, Parrikar liberally gave service extension to as many as 30 retiring state government officials and department heads, and thus as the defence minister, he has no right to sack Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) chief Avinash Chander on account of age, the Goa Congress said in a statement.

The Congress statement comes a day after Chander's services were controversially terminated by the defence ministry even though his contract was due to run until November 2016.

"Parrikar, while serving as the chief minister of Goa had himself approved extension in service to 30 government officials in Goa, which clearly shows that he doesn't have the moral right to link age to performance," Goa Congress spokesperson Durgadas Kamat said.

Media reports Wednesday quoted Parrikar as saying that he had recommended the sacking of Chander, 64, a top scientist who was overseeing the 'Agni' missile project.

"I recommended this. We didn't want somebody on contract to be in such a senior post. There are many eligible people," Parrikar was quoted as saying.

A statement also said that the appointment of new chief for the DRDO, a research and technology oriented organisation, should be keenly awaited now.

"The appointment of the new chief of DRDO, a top science and technology organisation, should be watched with keen interest because several right-wing leaders and scientists close to the BJP have been talking about India having invented planes 7,000 years ago and using the (Lord) Ganesha's analogy to prove that India was leader in plastic surgery thousands of years ago," Kamat added.