Goa Chief Minister laxmikant Parsekar has rejected accusations made by the Opposition Congress, which has leveled a series of allegations vis-à-vis the public celebration of Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on the latter’s birthday on December 13.
“The Opposition is spreading lies. No State Government funds will be used for the birthday celebration… the public felicitation of Parrikarji on his birthday is being organised by the BJP and our well wishers,” Parsekar told The Pioneer.
Parsekar heads the 135-member reception committee which has been tasked with organising the mega event, which is expected to be attended by over 50,000 guests, including top Ministers from the NDA Government like Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Cabinet Ministers in the BJP-led coalition Government in Goa and top industrialists from the State.
The BJP has already clarified that the expenses which will be incurred for organising the public celebration of Parrikar’s birthday were minimum and not in the range of “Rs15 crore to Rs20 crore” as alleged by the Congress.
“We have also appealed to the supporters of the party and Parrikar ji not to publish ads in newspapers and contribute the money towards the relief and rehabilitation efforts which are going on in Chennai after the floods,” Parsekar said, adding the felicitation of Parrikar on his birthday was a “spontaneous thanksgiving” from the public to their beloved leader.
All MlAs and Ministers in my Cabinet have already pledged one-day’s salary for the Chennai effort. We have also opened an account with the State Bank of India 35387615482 in which people can contribute,” Parsekar said.
BJP MlA from St. Andre Vishnu Wagh told The Pioneer that responding to the Chief Minister’s call on Wednesday, he had already contributed Rs50,000 towards the Chennai effort. “The cheque was deposited on Wednesday in the Secretariat branch of SBI. I am not a wealthy politician, but I think I must fulfil my obligations as a citizen of India,” he said.
The Congress, over the last one week, has been demanding that the public felicitation of Parrikar — a former Goa Chief Minister and the BJP’s tallest leader in State — on his birthday should be scrapped in view of the escalating tension along the line of Control and in view of the Chennai tragedy which has claimed over 250 lives.
“At a time when the country is reaching out to the victims of the Chennai floods and when there are lives being lost along the loC, including that of Colonel Santosh Mahadik, our Defence Minister and the BJP is planning the birthday bash of the decade which is going to cost around Rs15 crore to Rs20 crore,” AICC secretary Girish Chodankar had said.