NCP wants Goa CM to resign over midday meal remark

Parrikar attracted NCP's ire a day after he was appointed as a key member of Modi's team for 2014 elections

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Saturday demanded the resignation of Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar for what it termed as his "callous" response to a mid daymeal scare Friday in which 23 students from a school in Usgao were hospitalised.

"Parrikar was most callous and insensitive in his comments when he attributed 'psychological impact' as the reason the school children got admitted to hospital and not the bad food served under the mid day meal scheme," NCP spokesperson Trajano D'Mello said.

The chief minister, who also heads the education ministry, that oversees the implementation of the mid-day meal scheme, told reporters Friday that the hospitalisation of students after food poisoning scare had more to do with "psychological impact".

"One boy started crying after eating the food. Seeing him many others also started crying. They were then taken for a check-up," Parrikar said hours after 23 students from St. Joseph High School in Usgao, 35 km from here, were hospitalised after eating a mid day meal.

D'Mello accused the chief minister of making light of children's lives and demanded his resignation as the education minister.

The school authorities, meanwhile, have filed a first information report against the self-help groups that provided the meal Friday. The complaint says that "adulterated" and "sub-standard" food was provided to the students, which was "unhygienic and dangerous to human life".

Parrikar attracted the ire of NCP for his comments a day after he was appointed as a key member of Narendra Modi's team for 2014 general elections.