Spews fire and brimstone at Vishwajeet
PANJIM, JULY 15
It appears that Health Minister Vishwajeet Rane who received kid-glove treatment from BJP for the last three years should now be ready to face brickbats. Refusing to allow any more space to the health minister, the BJP today declared that they are totally opposed to privatisation of the new district hospital at Mapusa which has been ready for over two years now.
Coming down heavily on Rane, the BJP State President, Laxmikant Parsekar said in no way they would allow new hospital to be privatised which is meant for common people and was built to serve people of North Goa while addressing a press conference in the presence of BJP MLAs Francis D’Souza, Dayanand Mandrekar and Dilip Parulekar.
Parsekar said that they would go ahead with their agitation if the new hospital is not commissioned by August 15.
However, the health minister declared at a press conference on Wednesday that it was not possible to commission the hospital immediately in its existing set-up and it would not be commissioned despite of the deadline set by the BJP.
Taking on the health minister Parsekar said,. Rane should give up his ministership and go to people as a commoner. The health minister has no moral authority to speak against elected representatives as he has resigned as an MLA. Rane resigned as an MLA before joining the Congress Party however was sworn-in as minister the same evening.
He further said Rane should refrain from using abusing language against Opposition members and should take a lesson or two from his father, Speaker Pratapsing Rane, who he said, has always treated fellow members with dignity. The health minister should also tender apology, he added.
Rane is reported to have said that he would not commission the hospital as per deadline set by the Opposition. In fact, he said, he didn’t care if the Opposition staged agitation and they were free to agitate all 365 days of the year.
Reacting sharply to the health minister’s reported statements, Siolim MLA Mandrekar said “he is “nalayak” (useless) and he will have to face music this session of the assembly if he doesn’t mend his ways.”
Mapusa MLA D’Souza said, the least the government could do was shift existing set-up of the old Asilo hospital to the new one as the condition of the old hospital has been completely deteriorated.
The BJP MLAs have also decided to call on Chief Minister Digambar Kamat against alleged high-handedness of the health minister.
