The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday said that the Congress should stop “politicising” Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar’s health, PTI reported. The Congress has been holding “Jan Aakrosh” rallies in Goa, claiming that Parrikar’s ill-health has affected governance in the state.

The chief minister is being treated for pancreatic cancer since February, and the Congress has demanded his resignation. On Monday, the Goa Congress and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had criticised the BJP after it released photographs of Parrikar inspecting two bridges under construction on the Mandovi and Zuari rivers. This was the first time Parrikar was seen in public since his return to Goa in October after being discharged from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Delhi.

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“For the last two months, Congress has been raising the issue of chief minister’s health by holding various protests,” Goa BJP General Secretary Sadanand Tanavade said at a press conference in Panaji. “They don’t get any response for it [protests] because people hold Parrikar in high regard. Everyone knows the contribution of Parrikar to the state.”

Tanavade also rejected claims that Parrikar’s visit to the under-construction sites was a “stunt”. “There is no question of a stunt,” Tanavade said, according to IANS. “If we had to do a stunt, it could have been done 15 days or a month ago.” He demanded that Congress stop “politicising” the matter.

The Goa BJP general secretary also said that due to the “inhuman” and “insensitive” decision of the Congress to hold a protest march to Parrikar’s residence last month, no leader from the party will henceforth be allowed to meet the chief minister.

Meanwhile, Parrikar held meetings with senior officials from the personnel department on Tuesday to decide on vacancies, promotions and retirement-related matters, an unidentified official from his office told PTI.