Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on Friday thanked senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Digvijaya Singh for ‘doing nothing’ when in the State and helping him ‘form the Government’.
As Parrikar, who was sworn in as the Goa Chief Minister earlier this month, walked in during the Zero Hour in Rajya Sabha, Congress members protested his presence. Agitated Congress members raised a din but Parrikar expressed his special thanks to Singh, who was Congress’ General Secretary in-charge for Goa. “My special thanks to honourable member Digivijaya Singh, who happened to be in Goa but did nothing so that I could form the Government,” Parrikar said.
Congress has charged the BJP of using unfair means to attain a majority adding Goa Governor did not invite Congress first to form the Government even though it emerged as the single largest party. The BJP has rejected the charges saying the Congress did not have the numbers and was only creating hype.
Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi too took a dig at Singh and said Parrikar has expressed ‘special thanks’ to him .
Several members including Singh and B K Hariprasad were up on their feet shouting slogans. In response, some BJP members too shouted slogans. As din continued, Deputy Chairman PJ Kurien asked Parrikar to speak. However, Congress members did not allow him to do so and some of them rushed into the well raising slogans. Parrikar, however, continued to speak.