Team Herald
PANJIM: The Congress on Monday slammed Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar for spending his weekend in Goa distributing LED bulbs to consumers, when Jammu and Kashmir was facing an attack after top Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani was killed by security forces, last week.
“It is a shame for the Defence Ministry that their minister was distributing bulbs in Goa, while several people were killed in Jammu and Kashmir in the last two days. Parrikar should remember that he is Defence Minister of the country,” Congress spokesperson Sunil Kawthankar said.
Parrikar, who was in Goa since July 5, had distributed LED bulbs to consumers in Margao on Friday at the launch of the ‘Ujala Scheme’. Several people were killed in Kashmir, while 50-odd Goans are stranded at Amarnath.
Congress also accused the government of trying to fool the people by distributing free LED bulbs. “On one side, the power fare is hiked and on the other hand you are giving LED bulbs free of cost. This is nothing but fooling the people of Goa,” he said.
In another media interaction, Congress Rajya Sabha MP Shantaram Naik urged the State government to simplify and rationalize land mutation and partition of land procedures under Land Revenue Code, 1968 in order to give speedy and timely justice to the people.
Naik demanded that the government appoint an authority like the Collector to deal with mutation and partition of land cases, thereby clearing off pending cases. “The provisions of Land Revenue Code should be suitably amended to simplify the procedure. Both the aspects can be dealt with by one authority – Collector,” he said.
Naik also said that the controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik should be booked immediately even as processes to ban his TV channel and organisation may take time. He criticised the central government for delay in filing a FIR against Zakir.
“I do not know if the central home ministry has conducted a study. If proper study had been done, then an FIR could have been filed. Have they not got a copy of any speech in which he commented against any community or religion? Does it take so much time,” he said.
