BJP dismisses MGP's claims on health of Parrikar and two MLAs

The Goa BJP Wednesday dismissed its ally MGP's claims that Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar and two other MLAs of the ruling party are "terminally ill".

Goa BJP president Vinay Tendulkar told reporters that the chief minister and MLAs Francis D'Souza and Pandurang Madkaikar would attend the next session of the Legislative Assembly.

In a petition filed before the Goa bench of the Bombay High Court Tuesday for restraining two former MLAs of Congress, who had joined the BJP last month, from contesting elections, the MGP said Parriker, D'Souza and Madkaikar have been "terminally ill".

D'Souza and Madkaikar were dropped from the state Cabinet in September this year.

The Maharahtravadi Gomantak Party (MGP) and the Goa Forward Party (GFP), each with three MLAs, are constituents of the BJP-led coalition government.

Responding to a query on the change of leadership in Goa, Tendulkar said, "the decision on handing the charge to anyone other than Parrikar has to be taken by the Central leadership of the party".

"We (local BJP unit) are in touch with the Central leadership which will take a decision at the right time," Tendulkar said.

When asked about the MGP's claim about health of the CM, Madkaikar and D'Souza, he said, "They are not terminally ill. They will attend the next session of the Assembly".

In its petition before the high court, the MGP sought disqualification of Subhash Shirodkar and Dayanand Sopte who had crossed over to the BJP after resigning from the Congress.

When asked about the Congress' demand for resignation of Parrikar, Tendulkar said the BJP never complained about health of NCP chief and the then Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar who was undergoing treatment for cancer.

"That time Pawar was suffering from cancer and getting treated abroad. But we never complained about it and never asked for his resignation," he said.

He also dismissed the Congress' claims that the Goa government is in disarray in absence of the chief minister.