Goa CM is now a miaowing cat, not roaring tiger: Congress
Panaji, July 22 : Goa Congress President Girish Chodankar on Sunday took a dig at Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, saying that coalition pressures and love for CM's chair had reduced him to a miaowing cat from a tiger he was earlier called.
He said the senior BJP leader was behaving like a puppet and giving in to the "unreasonable" demands of BJP's alliance partners to save his chair.
"Parrikar once had a reputation of a roaring tiger in Goa's politics, but now had been reduced to a cat. The Chief Minister has been reduced to a puppet by alliance partners like Goa Forward, whose leader Vijai Sardesai has tried to save those behind the fish mafia, after the formalin controversy."
He told the media that lakhs of Goans loved fish but the state government had put this favourite food in peril.
"Once upon a time, he was called a tiger, but he is not even miaowing now. Imagine Parrikar's situation: He is stuck in his chair and has become blind. He is ready to compromise everyone, including 14 lakh Goans on the issue of formalin used in fish preservation, just to save his post," Chodankar said.
The BJP-led state coalition government is under attack for going soft on fish traders, whose consignments brought from other states were found to contain formalin, a powerful disinfectant and carcinogen used to preserve cadavers.
The ongoing monsoon session of the Goa Assembly has been adjourned for two consecutive days, after the Congress demanded a discussion on the formalin controversy.
Chodankar said that Parrikar, undergoing treatment for advanced pancreatic cancer, needed rest.
"Actually, I advised him a long time back that he is not able to handle the pressure. The Chief Minister is a very important position. He is the political executive of the state. When I advised him, they (BJP leaders) started threatening me," Chodankar said.
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345 Indian fishermen stranded in Iran return home via Armenia
New Delhi (PTI): A group of 345 Indian fishermen, who were stranded in Iran amid escalating regional tensions, returned to India via Armenia on Saturday, officials said.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar thanked his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan for assistance in return of the Indian nationals.
The Indian nationals arrived in Chennai this evening, the officials cited above said.
The circumstances that led to them being stranded in Iran were not immediately known.
"Thank FM @AraratMirzoyan and the Government of Armenia for facilitating the evacuation of Indian fishermen today from Iran, through Armenia to India," Jaishankar said on social media.
Over 1,500 Indian nationals have left Iran through land border crossings in Armenia and Azerbaijan since the start of the West Asia conflict over a month ago.
"A group of Indian fishermen, stranded in Iran, are returning home via Armenia today; their flight is expected to reach India this evening," a government statement said.
It said the Ministry of External Affairs continues to closely monitor the evolving situation in the West Asian region, with the safety, security and welfare of the Indian community being accorded the highest priority.
It also made a mention of five Indians being injured in Abu Dhabi on Friday.
According to Abu Dhabi authorities, the Indian nationals were among the 12 people injured by debris from an intercepted missile.
"In an attack in Abu Dhabi, five Indian nationals were injured; four have been discharged, one remains under treatment," the Indian government's statement said.
It said the Indian mission in Abu Dhabi is extending "full" assistance and coordinating with local authorities, adding that their flight is expected to reach India this evening.
