BJP team meets former party lawmakers in Goa
Panaji, Sep 17 : A BJP central team on Monday met former Goa party lawmakers here after little headway was made over an alternative leadership in the absence of ailing Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar.
A series of meetings which are being held at a hotel here, are being chaired by BJP's National General Secretary (organisation) Ram Lal and his associates B.L. Santosh and Vijay Puranik.
"We have said that the Chief Minister should continue. It will be for the good... He is undergoing treatment and will recover sooner or later. There was no discussion on whether someone else should be appointed in charge. The High Command will decide that," former Power Minister Mahadev Naik said.
On Sunday, Ram Lal and his team had met sitting Bharatiya Janata Party MLAs and allied legislators to chart out a political roadmap following Parrikar's hospitalisation at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi last week for treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer.
While all the BJP MLAs and coalition partner Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party have also rooted for Parrikar continuing as Chief Minister, another alliance partner Goa Forward and three Independent MLAs demanded a "permanent solution" to the ongoing leadership crisis.
Before the meetings on Monday, Ram Lal played down the leadership change issue insisting that the party was only discussing its preparations for the Lok Sabha polls.
"It is Lok Sabha polls preparation agenda. No leadership agenda. What is discussed in the meeting does not come out. What comes outside is not what is discussed in the meeting," he said.
When asked to comment on Parrikar's health and whether a permanent solution was being worked out the BJP leader said: "We will discuss it with the core committee."
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EAM Jaishankar meets Jamaican PM, gifts over 10 BHISHM Cubes
Kingston (PTI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday met Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness and discussed ways to further deepen "political, economic and people-to-people cooperation."
Jaishankar also conveyed greetings from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Holness.
"Pleased to call on Prime Minister @AndrewHolnessJM in Kingston. Conveyed the greetings of PM @narendramodi," Jaishankar posted on X.
"Discussed deepening our political, economic and people-to-people cooperation. Value his commitment towards further strengthening India-Jamaica relations," the post further read.
Also, the external affairs minister handed over 10 BHISHM (Bharat Health Initiative for Sahyog Hita & Maitri) Cubes as a gift to Jamaica.
"Formally handed over 10 BHISHM Cubes as a gift from India to Jamaica, in the presence of PM @AndrewHolnessJM, Health Minister @christufton and FM @kaminajsmith," Jaishankar posted on X.
"The BHISHM Cube mobile hospital system, designed for rapid deployment, will help Jamaica during disasters and emergencies. The gift of these cubes is a statement of friendship, a commitment to disaster preparedness, and an outcome of innovation," the post said.
Jaishankar arrived in Kingston on Saturday evening, marking the first leg of his nine-day tour of Jamaica, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago, aimed at further strengthening India's strategic and cultural ties with the Caribbean nations.
Earlier in the day, he interacted with the Indian diaspora and discussed India's ongoing transformation in infrastructure, human development and technology-driven governance and entrepreneurship with them.
He also highlighted the cricket bond between both countries as India gifted a scoreboard to Jamaica.
A scoreboard was dedicated at Sabina Park in Kingston. It is the home of the Jamaica cricket team and is the only Test cricket ground in the Caribbean island nation.
The minister expressed hope that the new scoreboard would witness many memorable innings, including those symbolising the enduring friendship between the two countries.
Cricket has long been a strong cultural bridge between India and Jamaica, which is part of the West Indies cricket team.
Jamaican players, including Chris Gayle, Courtney Walsh and Michael Holding, have played a major role in shaping the legacy of West Indies cricket in the international arena, contributing to its dominance in earlier decades and its continued global appeal.
