Opposition wants Parrikar to stop 'chilling' in Goa

December 10, 2014

Parrikar chillingPanaji, Dec 10: After outrage on the social media, the opposition is protesting against Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar's presence at a book release function in Goa, hours after a major terrorist strike in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Congress have asked the former Goa chief minister to safeguard India's borders and not continue to interfere in state politics as a "Super CM".

Congress leader Durgadas Kamat claims that if an Indian defence minister can spare two days a week "chilling" in Goa, there was something seriously amiss.

"Defence minister is a full-time job. The country does not want a part-timer in that position. How can (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi, himself a workaholic, allow his defence minister to do such a shoddy, half-hearted job?" Kamat asks.

On Friday evening, hours after suspected militants from the Lashkar-e-Taiba attacked an army camp in Baramulla killing eight soldiers and two policemen, Parrikar took time to attend a literary festival held on the outskirts of Panaji.

Ever since he was elevated as defence minister in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government last month, Parrikar, who is synonymous with the BJP in the politically non-significant state, has been visiting Goa two to three days almost every week.

BJP sources said that Parrikar was in the process of establishing a camp office in Panaji, where he is expected to spend two days each week to oversee political as well as administrative matters in Goa.

"The staff is being shortlisted. The camp office will be located at the Paryatan bhavan," a source said.

Reacting to the former chief minister's constant presence in Goa, NCP state vice president Trajano D'Mello asked Parrikar to stop riding two boats -- in the national interest.

"You cannot be defence minister and continue to run Goa by remote control. The problem with Parrikar is he is too used to being No.1. He cannot be No.1 in the NDA with Modi around.

Therefore he wants to come to Goa, where his writ runs over his replacement chief minister," D'Mello said.

Parrikar has defended his presence in Goa over the weekend.

"There are some who said I should be in Kashmir... If I am in Kashmir the army will have to spend energy on taking care of me," the defence minister said, adding he was monitoring the Kashmir situation on an hourly basis.

The Bharatiya Janata Party in Goa believes that Parrikar's weekly departures from South Block to Goa were not an issue, and if some sorting out was needed, Modi and Parrikar could handle it among themselves.

"He (Parrikar) knows his job better than me... If he comes to Goa, the party here is happy," state BJP vice president Wilfred Mesquita said.

"But if there is something to be done there, he and the prime minister will do it. It is not an issue for us," he said.

Earlier, a photograph of the defence minister's presence at the Goa book release went viral on the social media, with Twitter commentators drawing comparisons with former home ministers in the UPA government Sushil Kumar Shinde and Shivraj Patil, whose tenure was marked by controversies.

While Patil came under fire in 2008 for taking time for a change of shirts in the aftermath of a terror strike in Mumbai, Shinde attracted flak for attending a movie music launch and posing alongside actress Kangana Ranaut after the serial blasts in Patna last year.

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News Network
March 28,2020

Amaravati, Mar 28: The state governments of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka carried out a joint quarantine operation to help over a thousand migrant labourers from various districts of Andhra Pradesh.
The Andhra Pradesh administration received the information that 1,334 migrant labourers were trying to return to the state after obtaining passes from the Deputy Director of Fisheries in Mangalore, Karnataka.
The labourers, according to a press release by the Andhra Pradesh government, were headed towards the Nangili Toll Plaza in Kolar district, from where they would enter the state to return to their native places.
"The Chittoor Collector, Superintendent of Police and Sub-Collector rushed to the spot to coordinate with their counterparts from Kolar, Karnataka. The migrant workers were not permitted to enter AP due to the lockdown and the guidelines of the Union as well as state government," according to the release.
Instead, both the governments decided to initiate a joint quarantine operation in Kolar while taking precautionary measures to ensure that none of the labourers are carriers of the COVID-19 infection.
The Andhra government also reassured the Kolar administration that it will provide doctors, healthcare and all other facilities. It has also issued directions for logistical support, food, water, transport to take the labourers to quarantine facility, and medical team, consisting of 12 doctors, 22 supervisors and other staff, to be provided.
While the Prime Minister had imposed a nationwide lockdown, including the suspension of inter-state travel to prevent the spread of coronavirus, migrant workers and labourers around the country have started returning back to their native places fearing joblessness and cash crunch.
Andhra Pradesh as of Saturday 9:30 am, had 14 confirmed cases of coronavirus while Karnataka's count stood at 55, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

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News Network
July 18,2020

Ayodhya, Jul 18: The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust has invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to lay the foundation stone of a grand Ram Temple in Ayodhya either on August 3 or 5, both auspicious dates, said a spokesperson.

PM Modi had announced the formation of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust on February 5.

Mahant Kamal Nayan Das, the spokesperson of Ram Mandir Trust president Nritya Gopal Das said, "We have suggested two auspicious dates -- August 3 and 5 -- for the prime minister's visit based on calculations of movements of stars and planets."

After a protracted legal tussle, the Supreme Court had on November 9 last year paved the way for the construction of a Ram Temple by a Trust at the disputed site in Ayodhya and directed the Centre to allot an alternative 5-acre plot to the Sunni Waqf Board for building a new mosque at a "prominent" place in the holy town in Uttar Pradesh.

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News Network
July 17,2020

Thiruvananthapuram, Jul 17: A gunman posted at the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Consulate in Thiruvananthapuram allegedly attempted suicide on Friday, the police said.

"A gunman who was working at the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Consulate in Thiruvananthapuram allegedly attempted to commit suicide today. He is currently admitted to a hospital. 

The police were searching for him after his relatives had filed a missing complaint on Thursday night. A case has been registered and a probe is underway," said Police.

The person is identified as Jayagosh. He is attached to the police Armed Reserve (AR) camp and was reported missing since last night. Later, his relatives had filed a missing complaint with the police.

Jayagosh was later found lying in a pool of blood near his house in Akkulam and was taken to the hospital.

A police investigation is underway and more details are awaited.

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