Goa Deputy Speaker says, Manohar Parrikar to continue as chief minister

Goa, Sep 15 Deputy Speaker of Goa Assembly Michael Lobo on Saturday cleared questions and affirmed that Manohar Parrikar will continue to serve as the Chief Minister of Goa. Prior questions had been raised regarding his continuation in the post because of his ailing health.

The chief minister is planned to reach All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) around 1.30 pm on Saturday where he will be treated for problems related to the pancreas. He will be admitted to an all private ward and treated under the Gastroenterology department.

CM Parrikar will be airlifted to the national capital where he will be conceded in AIIMS for further medical care.

PM Narendra Modi has arranged a special flight for him.

Lobo also said that PM Modi and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah have been monitoring the situation in Goa. The portfolios that were with the chief minister will be distributed among the ministers so that administration can run smoothly, added Lobo.

62-year-old Parrikar has been at present experiencing treatment for a pancreatic ailment at a private hospital at Candolim in North Goa.

Parrikar had come back from the US in the first week of September following which he was admitted to the clinic at Candolim. Earlier this year, he had undergone a three-month-long treatment in the US.

Sources stated that Parrikar had on Friday spoken to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah via telephone, who enquired about his health.

The Goa BJP had held a meeting of its state-level core committee on Friday. The core committee members had later met Parrikar.