Panaji, May 14: The Congress on Monday accused ailing Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar of addressing only party workers and ignoring Goans in his brief video address, which was broadcast at the one-day BJP booth workers' convention held near here on Sunday.

"We are sympathetic to the fact that the Chief Minister is ill. But in his video address, he completely ignored the people of Goa and only spoke about BJP karyakartas. This is completely unacceptable and shows partisanship on part of Parrikar," Congress spokesperson Siddhanath Buyao told the media here.

Parrikar is currently undergoing advanced treatment for pancreatic cancer in the US where he was shifted in March, a month after he was first admitted to a Mumbai hospital for stomach pain, which was subsequently diagnosed as cancer.

The video address is the first 'public' appearance made by Parrikar since March.

In his address, Parrikar urged party workers to prepare for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and said that he would be returning to Goa "in a few weeks".

Buyao also attacked BJP national president Amit Shah, who was also present at the Sunday convention, for not clarifying a statement he made in Karnataka on the ongoing Mhadei inter-state water dispute.

"Shah was completely quiet on it and so were the BJP workers. We expected the BJP workers to question Shah about his statement in Karnataka on the Mhadei issue."

Shah, in an election meeting in Karnataka, promised to share water from the river to Karnataka within six months, even as the case is being heard by a Tribunal appointed by the Central government.

 

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Belagavi: The state cabinet under the Chairmanship of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has reportedly given its nod to permit cricket matches at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, subject to certain conditions.

The decision is learnt to have been taken after a meeting held at the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha here on Thursday.

Reports indicate that Home Minister Dr G. Parameshwara has been directed to formulate rules along with a referendum to hold a cricket match at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.

The cabinet’s approval comes subject to conditions, considering the report of Justice D’Cunha, which was prepared after the stampede.

The June 4 stampede during the celebrations for RCB’s maiden IPL title killed 11 people, which raised serious questions over the stadium's capability to host large-scale events.

Will RCB be playing at their home ground next year?

Stating that the “state had learned from the tragedy,” Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Monday, December 08, dismissed the talks about shifting Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s home games out of the city.

He also said that the Chinnaswamy Stadium is the “pride of Bengaluru and Karnataka” and vowed that IPL fixtures will continue to be played there.

On Wednesday, Shivakumar met the newly elected KSCA president Venkatesh Prasad at the Circuit House in Belagavi and reiterated that cricket matches, including IPL fixtures, will not be shifted out of Bengaluru.

“We have no intention of stopping matches at Chinnaswamy Stadium, but crowd control measures and the Michael D. Cunha committee’s recommendations will be implemented in phases,” he told reporters.

Shivakumar said the government is committed to promoting cricket and supporting fans while safeguarding the state’s reputation, adding that Prasad had sought the government’s cooperation and agreed to work jointly on the issue.