PANJIM: The Congress has condemned the mega birthday celebration plans for Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on December 13. They want the largescale party to be cancelled and said the state government should the money slotted for the celebrations to Tamil Nadu flood victims.
Union Ministers Rajnath Singh and Nitin Gadkari are expected to be present at the civic reception to be held at Gymkhana grounds, Campal and nearly 20,000 to 25,000 party workers and well wishers are expected to attend the bash.
A 132-member sub-committee called ‘Manohar Parrikar 60th birthday celebration committee’ headed by Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar has been constituted to host a civic reception for Parrikar.
The committee has four vice presidents – Union Minister Shripad Naik, Deputy Chief Minister Francis D’Souza, PWD Minister Ramkrishna (Sudin) Dhavalikar and BJP president Vinay Tendulkar – along with all other BJP and MGP MLAs, including Independents Avertano Furtado and Benjamin Silva as members.
Addressing a press conference in Panjim, the All India Congress Committee Secretary Girish Chodankar said it is sad when the people of a state are reeling under nature’s calamity and the border bristles are creating news daily, the country’s Defence Minister is all set to celebrate his birthday in such a largescale. He said the entire country is in a state of shock with the disaster of Chennai and relief work is going on and Parrikar will be celebrating his birthday in Goa by mobilizing 50,000 people from Goa and outside.
“Instead of celebrating his birthday and spending an astronomical amount, please send the same to Tamil Nadu victims. Some amount can also be earmarked for for the families dependent on mining in the state, more so as they are facing the brunt due to the ban which was imposed during his tenure as the state’s Chief Minister,” Chodankar said.
Congress has slammed the BJP government for using government machinery for the preparation of the birthday. Chodankar has also alleged that BJP leaders were “extorting” from the contractors and others to raise funds for the birthday celebration of Parrikar.
Chodankar also asked why he (Parrikar) was being felicitated in the first place. “Why is Parrikar being felicitated? He (Parrikar) has no achievement for which he should be felicitated. He couldn’t even defuse the tension at the borders with Pakistan,” Chodankar said.
Chodankar coming heavily over the birthday bash at a wrong time said 18 soldiers and 35 civilians have lost their lives. Nine hundred ceasefires violations and cross border infiltrations at the borders took place since Parrikar became the defence minister.
Sunil Kawathankar, General Secretary of Goa Pradesh Congress Committee said the state government is full of event managers for Parrikar’s birthday bash.
“We have not seen such a person, who parties when his house is on fire, is this what Parrikar has learnt from the RSS,” Kawathankar asked.
