Parrikar will not quit as CM, to continue work: Goa BJP President

Ailing Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar will not resign as the head of the BJP-led coalition government, Goa BJP President Vinay Tendulkar said on Monday, ruling out "rumours" that the former Defence Minister was likely to step down from his post due to ill-health.

"There is a rumour which is being spread, that the CM will resign. This will not happen. He is a CM of the coalition for five years. He will complete that tenure and he will attend to work at office soon," Tendulkar told reporters after a meeting of BJP leaders at the party's Goa headquarters here.

"His health is fine. Doctors have advised him rest for two days. After that he will meet party officials, ministers and MLAs," Tendulkar said.

Asked about the sudden decision taken to relocate Parrikar from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Delhi to Goa on Sunday, Tendulkar said: "The treatment being given at AIIMS will be continued in Goa."

Parrikar, being treated for advanced pancreatic cancer, was admitted to AIIMS on September 15. He has been in and out of hospitals in Goa, Mumbai, New York and now Delhi for the last seven months.

Earlier, the Chief Minister's Office in a statement said: "Parrikar's condition has improved further. He had a chat with his family members... Doctors have advised him to rest for a week."

Parrikar's absence from office due to health reasons has triggered political upheaval in Goa, with ruling allies stepping up pressure on the BJP to shed some of the top portfolios currently held by the Chief Minister.

The Congress has also demanded that due to Parrikar's ill-health, the state administration had come to a standstill and has demanded that Governor Mridula Sinha should dismiss the government.

--IANS

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