BJP govt in Goa completes a year, no celebrations due to Parrikar's absence

The BJP-led Goa government completed one year in office today sans any celebration due to the absence of Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, who is undergoing treatment for a pancreatic ailment in the US.

The BJP, which had failed to cross the half-way mark in last year's Assembly polls with its tally dipping to 13 from 21, had pulled off a coup by enlisting the support of the Goa Forward Party (GFP), Maharastrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) and two Independents, to reach the magic figure of 21 in the 40-member House.

Although the Congress had won 17 seats, only four short of the magic figure to form the government, the saffron party had outmaneuvered the Congress in its bid to power.

The GFP, MGP and Independents had agreed to support the BJP to form the government with a rider that the then Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar returns to the coastal state and be at the helm of affairs.

Parrikar took oath as the chief minister of Goa on March 14 along with nine other ministers, forcing the Congress into the opposition benches.

Parrikar was admitted to Mumbai's Lilavati Hospital last month for the treatment of pancreatitis. He went to the US last week for further treatment.

"We complete a year in office today, but we have not planned any celebrations as the CM remains out of the country," senior BJP leader and state Urban Development Minister Francis D'Souza said.

Parrikar's absence has left the ruling party in a disoriented state.

D'Souza admitted that the administration has slowed down in the last few days due to the chief minister.

"We are currently coping with the situation and things would be normalised once Parrikar is back," he said.

When the government was formed, the BJP government had several issues to tackle, namely finalising the Regional Plan, moving out the offshore casinos, challenges before the mining sector and nationalisation of riverways, among others.

It seems to have made no headway on these fronts.

In a jolt to the mining industry in Goa, the Supreme Court last month quashed the second renewal of iron ore mining leases given to 88 companies in the state in 2015, and directed the Centre and the Goa government to grant fresh environmental clearances to them.

Stating that the government's report card was far from satisfactory, the opposition Congress said the ruling dispensation has failed to deliver on every front.

D'Souza, however, claimed, "For last one year, the state government functioned very well. There was no instability or any differences amongst the ruling camp."