Manohar Parrikar Health Update: High Court Seeks Status Report on Goa CM
Manohar Parrikar is suffering from advanced pancreatic cancer.
Mumbai, December 4: Days after the Congress said Manohar Parrikar may have died, the Panaji bench of the Bombay High Court on Tuesday sought a report detailing health status of the Goa chief minister. The court directed Goa chief secretary Dharmendra Sharma to file an affidavit specifying the health status of Manohar Parrikar, who is suffering from advanced pancreatic cancer, on Wednesday.
Local politician Trajano D'Mello filed a petition seeking the health status of Parrikar as the chief minister has not walked out of his residence to attend any official meeting or private event for more than a month now. He had also asked the court to direct state chief secretary to evaluate the former Defence Minister's health by a panel of expert doctors and release a medical report in public domain. BJP Pressurising Parrikar to Resume Office: Former Goa RSS Chief.
According to the BJP, Parrikar's residence has been converted into a sophisticated medical facility and he chairs cabinet meetings as well. Parrikar has been in and out of hospitals in Goa, Mumbai, New York and Delhi for nearly nine months. He returned to his home after being discharged from Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) on October 14, and since then, didn't leave the residence.
Ever since Parrikar's health started deteriorating, there has been no health bulletin. In October, Goa Congress spokesperson Jitendra Deshprabhu said that the BJP and the BJP-led coalition government should prove to the people of Goa that Parrikar was alive. "Yes, we are taking that call. It is an extreme call that the honourable Chief Minister may not be there at all," he told reporters.
However, the BJP rebutted the claim. On December 1, BJP MLAs met Parrikar at his residence and said that the former Defence Minister was "recovering well" and in a position to carry on his professional duties. "He individually asked each MLA about the difficulties they face and suggested resolutions to bottlenecks whenever they cropped up," Panchayat Minister Mauvin Godinho told reporters.
The Opposition, as well ruling coalition allies have been demanding the resignation of the chief minister, claiming that the administration has come to a standstill due to Parrikar's absence.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 04, 2018 07:38 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).