Panaji, Dec 1 (IANS) A pro-regional languages outfit mentored by rebel RSS leader Subhash Velingkar on Thursday accused Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar of attacking the federal structure of governance.
"Manohar Parrikar, who has been nominated to the Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh, has no right to make policy level announcements and officially address state bureaucrats," said Uday Bhembre, an executive committee member of the Bharatiya Bhasha Suraksha Manch.
Addressing a press conference, Bhembre alleged that Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar is acting like a "puppet" in the hands of the Defence Minister.
He further alleged that Parsekar is allowing the state administration to be run by the central government minister, who has not even been popularly elected by the state.
"Parrikar is not an elected representative from Goa. He is elected to the Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh. He has no right to call a meeting of local bureaucrats and bankers in Goa to discuss policy and implemention issues, whether it is making Goa cashless, or something else," Bhembre said.
The Manch member was referring to a meeting chaired by Parrikar in the state capital last week, where top bureaucrats including Chief Secretary R.K. Srivastava were present, along with top bank officials from the coastal state.
The meeting was called to discuss modalities to make Goa a cashless state by December 30. The "Cashless Goa" plan has also been repeated by Parrikar in nearly every poll meeting addressed by him over the last two weeks.
The Velingkar-led Manch has also opposed the BJP-led coalition government's plans to indirectly back English as a main language of instruction at the government-aided primary schools in the state.
Following the friction between the Manch and the BJP, Velingkar was sacked as the state chief of the RSS.
Velingkar is now mentoring a new political outfit, the Goa Suraksha Manch, which is expected to take the local BJP head-on during the forthcoming state assembly polls, likely in early 2017.
Commenting on a recent viral video, where Parsekar is seen sitting with folded hands next to Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the latter's public address in Goa last month, Bhembre claimed that Parsekar lacks the spine to act a chief minister.
"Before Modi, he was sitting with his hands folded like Hanuman before Lord Rama. All he needs to do is plant a tail on himself and prostrate before Parrikar, too," Bhembre said.
While the Chief Minister could not be contacted for comment, sources close to him described the attack on Parsekar as unwarranted and cheap.
"The Chief Minister should not comment on such vile attacks. The comments just shows the low level of the people who make such comments against the state's top and publicly elected political executive," a source close to Parsekar said.
