Amit Shah: BJP to take decision on Manohar Parrikar at appropriate time

Amit Shah

BJP President Amit Shah on Saturday said the party would take a decision at an appropriate time about finding an alternative leader to ailing Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar.

"For now, we only wish Parrikar a speedy recovery. The party will take a decision at an appropriate time," Shah said at a news conference here when asked if the Bharatiya Janata Party has taken a decision to find an alternative leader.

Parrikar, who is suffering from advanced pancreatic cancer, headed to New Delhi on Saturday for further treatment and examination at the All India Institute for Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

A central team of BJP observers is expected to arrive in Goa and meet legislators and representatives of allied parties, while also finalising an alternative leader of the BJP-led coalition government in Parrikar's absence.

Shah also said the TRS owes an explanation to the people for imposing additional poll expenditure on Telangana by going for early elections to the state Assembly.

He wanted to know why the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) imposed early polls on the state when Lok Sabha and Assembly elections are slated to be held nine months later.

Shah, who arrived here to launch the Bharatiya Janata Party's poll campaign, told a news conference that Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao had initially supported Prime Minister Narendra Modi's idea of "one nation one election" but he was surprised when he suddenly changed his stand.

"Rao and TRS have forced a small state to bear the expenditure of two elections. BJP believes that TRS has put an additional burden of crores of rupees on people to further its political interests," said the BJP chief.

Shah, who will be addressing a public meeting at Mahabubnagar on Saturday evening to kick off the party's campaign, said that the BJP was ready to give a tough fight to both TRS and opposition Congress in every constituency.

He was confident that the BJP will emerge as a strong and decisive force in the state.

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also, download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates