Dona Paula: Several hundred people under the banner of “People’s March For Restoration of Governance” on Tuesday evening walked to the private residence of Manohar Parrikar, demanding his resignation as the Chief Minister.
Several political parties including Congress, NCP, Shiv Sena extended their support for the protest march which was initiated by social activists and NGOs.
The protestors were demanding that Parrikar should step down as the Chief Minister of the State, owing to his ill health. They said that the State governance has suffered as he remained hospitalized for over nine months now.
The protest march was stopped 100 metres away from the chief minister’s private residence by police, when they insisted to meet the CM.
Deputy Collector Shashank Tripathy told the protestors that CM has refused to meet the protestors due to his health.
Addressing the crowd, social activist Aires Rodrigues, who spearheaded the entire march, gave ultimatum of 48 hours to CM, on behalf of the protestors, to step down from the Chair.
“We need full tiem CM. For the last nine months, the State Administration has collapsed. CM is not meeting his own ministers and MLAs,” Rodrigues said.
He said that the people who were marching to the residence of CM had come to see the factual condition of his health.
Rodrigues said that if CM does not step down within 48 hours, the State wide agitation would be planned to force him to resign.
Congress leaders including party’s Goa Chief Girish Chodankar, Leader of Opposition Chandrakant Kavlekar, MLAs Digambar Kamat, Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco, Antonio Fernandes, Francis Silveira also participated in the protest.
Shiv Sena Goa Chief Jitesh Kamat said that the people of the State are praying for the speedy recovery of CM. “But that does not mean that he should continue putting the State Administration on halt,” he added.
Parrikar, 62, had been recuperating at his private residence since October 14 when he was discharged from All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi.
