This Article is From Sep 03, 2018

Congress Demands President Rule In Goa In Absence Of Manohar Parrikar

Congress' Goa spokesman Ramakant Khalap said the state is facing a 'constitutional crisis'.

Congress Demands President Rule In Goa In Absence Of Manohar Parrikar

Manohar Parrikar left for the US again on doctors' advice last Thursday.

Panaji:

The Congress today demanded that President's rule be imposed in Goa in the absence of chief minister Manohar Parrikar, who is currently in the US for a medical treatment.

Congress' Goa spokesman Ramakant Khalap said the state is facing a "constitutional crisis", and that he has sought an appointment with Governor Mridula Sinha to press for his party's demand for the President's rule.

Mr Parrikar has been "constantly absent" from the state because of health reasons, without handing over his charge to anyone, he said. 
Goa's power minister Pandurang Madkaikar and urban development minister Francis D'Souza have also been down with ailments, he said. 

There is no deadline when the CM and the other ministers will be back in the state, Mr Khalap said, adding "it is time for Governor Mridula Sinha to intervene in the matter as the state is facing a constitutional crisis".

Mr Parrikar, 62, underwent treatment at a US hospital for a pancreatic ailment between March and June this year.  He flew to the US again last month for a follow-up and was again admitted to a private hospital in Mumbai on August 23. 
Last Thursday, he left for the US again on doctors' advice and is now, expected to return on September 8, a senior BJP leader said on Friday.

Mr D'Souza also went to the US for a medical treatment last month while Mr Madkaikar is admitted to a hospital in Mumbai since June 5 after he suffered a brain stroke.

Mr Khalap alleged that Mr Parrikar and two other ministers have violated their oaths in discharging their duties towards the state. 
"If you are sick and not able to pay attention to your duties then it is a violation of the oath...this tentamounts to failure of the constitutional machinery," he claimed, demanding that the Goa government be dismissed and President's rule be imposed in the state.

Mr Khalap said his party has sought an appointment with Ms Sinha to discuss the "crisis" prevailing in Goa, and listed various issues, like halting of the mining industry, the Mahadayi river water dispute and the alleged failure of law and order to check crimes in the state.

"We can understand the chief minister's temporary absence, but if it is more than 24 hours, then powers are given to someone else," he claimed.

"There is no government existing in Goa," he said, and asked how many times has the council of ministers met. Democracy requires a stable government led by the chief minister, he added.
 

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