News18 Daybreak | Goa CM Manohar Parrikar Passes Away at 63 and Other Stories You Need to Watch Out For
Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar, a former defence minister who had been battling a pancreatic ailment for over a year, died at his private residence near here on Sunday. He was 63.
The Centre has announced national mourning today and declared that the national flag will fly at half-mast in Delhi and in capitals of states and Union territories.
A Union Cabinet meeting is slated to take place at 10 am and the BJP is likely to announce the successor to the Chief Minister position today.
The Techno-politician: Born in Mapusa in 1955, Parrikar joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) during his days in school and went on to graduate from IIT-Bombay in 1978 with a degree in metallurgical engineering.
In 2014, Parrikar was asked to serve as the defence Minister, which he reluctantly accepted, saying “I have too much affection towards Goa.”
His term was as transparent as it was marred by controversies. His lowest point as defence minister was when he came under scathing attack from several sides as India saw the lowest budget allocation to defence, a meagre 1.62% of the GDP.
Even during his term as CM he was criticized over his failure to crack down on illegal mining, Parrikar was, however, hailed for several other schemes including reduction of petrol prices and monthly income to housewives.
Read about the robust leader here.
Recent developments: Within hours of Parrikar’s passing, the BJP and Congress MLAs met amid uncertainty over who will hold the reigns in the state. According to reports the Congress leaders are likely to visit Raj Bhawan today to stake a claim to form the government.
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari is said to have met with the BJP MLAs and the party’s allies in a meeting which lasted till the wee hours of Monday. While the contents of the meeting were not disclosed, Deputy Speaker Michael Lobo told reporters today that Maharashtra Gomantak Party leader Sudin Dhavlikar had expressed his wish to become the next chief minister.
“He said he has sacrificed many times by supporting the BJP. So he wants to become the chief minister, but BJP will not agree to that. That has to be worked out,” added Lobo. MGP is a BJP ally in the state.
Read about it here:
At loggerheads: The battle over the state leadership began on Saturday itself when news of Parrikar’s deteriorating condition emerged. While the BJP leaders in the state held an emergency meeting, the Congress attempted to approach Governor Mridula Sinha to stake a claim over the government.
Accusations were levelled soon after Sinha failed to meet with the Congress but met with the BJP leader Satish Dhond. The Goa Congress accused Sinha of “behaving like a BJP office-bearer”
“Our immediate aim is to bring the Governor into her senses because right now she is behaving like a BJP office-bearer,” Congress chief Girish Chodonkar had said in a press conference.
The Congress currently has the most number of lawmakers in the state Assembly –14 MLAs. Following Parrikar’s demise, the BJP’s numbers have gone down to 12. The party is currently supported by the three MLAs each belonging to the Maharashtra Gomantak Party and the Goa Forward Party and three independent candidates.
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