Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on Saturday was admitted to the All India Institute for Medical Sciences in New Delhi. The chief minister was taken on a special flight on the recommendation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Deputy Speaker Michael Lobo said Modi and Bharatiya Janata Party President Amit Shah were monitoring the situation in Goa, ANI reported. “Portfolios that were handled by the chief minister will be distributed among the ministers to ensure that the administration runs smoothly,” Lobo added. “Parrikar will continue to serve as chief minister.”
The 62-year-old Bhartiya Janata Party leader, who returned to India in June after three months of treatment in the United States for a pancreatic ailment, decided to travel to the national Capital after Prime Minister Narendra Modi advised him to undergo a few tests at the facility, The Times of India reported.
The Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, an alliance partner in the state government, said on Saturday it was “high time” Parrikar handed over the charge to the seniormost minister during his absence, PTI reported.
Sudin Dhavalikar, a member of the MGP, is the seniormost member in the cabinet.
Speculation about Parrikar’s resignation has been rife since Thursday, when reports claimed he had been admitted to a hospital in Candolim. An unidentified party leader told PTI that Parrikar had spoken to BJP President Amit Shah about stepping down but the party has decided that he will continue as chief minister.
“Parrikar spoke to Shah and briefed him about the political situation in the state, and also informed him about his health condition,” the leader said. “It was decided that Parrikar will continue as the chief minister but he might give some of his portfolios to his cabinet colleagues.”
By next week, the government will work out the “exact arrangement through which the work burden on Parrikar could be reduced”, the leader added.
Parrikar was admitted to the Goa Medical College and Hospital on February 16 with abdominal pain and food poisoning. He was then taken to Lilavati Hospital, and was discharged on February 22.
He left for the United States in March. He travelled there again in August for a follow-up health review. On August 23, a day after his return, he was admitted to a hospital in Mumbai for another checkup.
On Wednesday, the Goa Congress wrote to the governor alleging that the chief minister may dissolve the Assembly before its term ends as he was “losing grip” over his allies. Earlier this month, the Opposition party demanded that President’s rule be imposed in the state, claiming it was facing a “constitutional crisis” in Parrikar’s absence.
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