Ailing Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar presented the state Budget in the Assembly on Wednesday, 30 January.
Addressing the budget session, Parrikar – who is battling a pancreatic ailment and was seen sitting with a tube attached to his nose at the Assembly – said he is high on “josh” (enthusiasm).
The chief minister also hit back at critics and said, “There is a josh, that is too high and I’m fully in hosh (conscious),” reported ANI.
“Today, once again I promise that I will serve Goa with sincerity, integrity, and dedication until my last breath. There is a josh, that is too high and I’m fully in hosh (conscious).”Manohar Parrikar, Goa CM, as reported by ANI
He made the remark days after the opposition Congress said that while the BJP-led Goa administration has “collapsed” and the state’s debts were mounting, the CM was asking about “josh” among the people of the state.
"Pehle hosh me aao, baad me josh ki baat karo (first come to your senses and then talk about josh)," Goa Pradesh Congress Committee President Girish Chodankar had said on Monday, 28 January, reported PTI.
As Parrikar seemingly found it difficult to go on speaking, Speaker Pramod Sawant intervened and said copies of the speech would be circulated among the House members.
Used Your Visit for Petty Political Gains: Parrikar Slams Rahul Gandhi
Earlier on Wednesday, Parrikar also accused Rahul Gandhi – who had met the chief minister on Tuesday, 29 January – of using his visit for “petty political gains” and said that it has raised questions about the Congress president’s sincerity.
In a letter to Gandhi, Parrikar wrote:
“I feel let down that you have used this visit for your petty political gains. In the 5 minutes you spent with me, neither did you mention anything about Rafale, nor did we discuss anything about/related to it. Nothing whatsoever about Rafale was even mentioned in your meeting with me.”Manohar Parrikar, in letter to Rahul Gandhi
Renewing his attack against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Gandhi said on Wednesday that he had brought up the issue of Rafale deal in his meeting with Parrikar.
“I met former Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar yesterday. He himself had said that the prime minister did not consult the defence minister while changing the Rafale deal,” Gandhi said, addressing Congress workers at Delhi’s Talkatora stadium.
On Wednesday, Parrikar tabled the total gross budget expenditure, which included power purchase of Rs 19,548 crore as against Rs 17,123 crore for 2018-19, an increase of 14.16 percent over last year.
"Overall, for the year 2019-20, the annual financial statement indicates a revenue surplus since many years in succession. The revenue surplus is estimated at Rs 455.10 crore," he said.
The former defence minister has been recuperating at his private residence near Panaji since October last year after he was discharged from the All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) in New Delhi. He has been in and out of hospitals in Mumbai, Delhi and the US since February 2018.
(With inputs from PTI and ANI)
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