PANJIM: Ruling out a fresh proposal for special status for the State, Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar on Thursday equated the selection of his predecessor Manohar Parrikar as Defence Minister to a “special status package offered by the Centre”.
“What special status are you talking about? After BJP came to power with full majority under Narendra Modi leadership, the State got many special packages,” Parsekar told media persons responding to a question on whether a fresh proposal for special status would be placed before Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit on November 13. “Handpicking Manohar Parrikar to be Defence Minister in a country with 1.28 billion population, is also a special status package,” Chief Minister said.
However, when the media pointed out that the demand for special status was to protect the State’s unique socio-cultural identity, Parsekar said, “Leave it to the BJP government. We will take care of it. We will ensure that there is not a single scratch on our socio-cultural identify.”
The BJP government in its 2012 election manifesto had promised special status to Goa under Article 371 of the Constitution. The State Assembly had also unanimously passed a resolution to make a proposal for special status before the central government. However, the proposal was rejected.
