Parrikar ignored Goans in video address: Congress
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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Centre spent Rs 76.13 lakh on print media ads for RSS centenary, reveals RTI
New Delhi: The Union Ministry of Culture allegedly spent Rs 76.13 lakh on print advertisements marking the 100-year celebrations of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), according to a Right to Information (RTI) reply.
The information was sought by RTI activist Ajay Basudev Bose, who filed an application seeking details on expenditure incurred by the ministry for advertisements commemorating the RSS centenary.
Bose shared a picture of the reply from the ministry on his official ‘X’ handle.
“It is informed that an amount of Rs 76,13,129 has been spent on advertisement given in various print media by the Ministry of Culture on the occasion of the completion of 100 years of RSS,” the government’s reply stated.
RTI reply shows Min of Culture Govt of India spent a Whopping Rs 76L,13K,129 on Advertisement in Print Media on occasion of 100 yrs of #RSS
— AJAY Basudev Bose (@AjayBos93388306) April 16, 2026
When Everyone knows RSS is Not Registered & Does not Pay any Tax is it justified to spend Tax Payers Money on such Private event??@RSSorg… pic.twitter.com/dW4IUtdNCg
Bose questioned the expenditure in the post X, “when Everyone knows RSS is Not Registered & Does not Pay any Tax is it justified to spend Tax Payers Money on such Private event??”
Reacting to the development, Karnataka’s IT-BT and Panchayat Raj Minister Priyank Kharge also criticised the spending.
In a post on X, he asked why public money was being used for what he described as a “private ideological project.”
"Modi Sarkar spent Rs 76,13,129 of public money on newspaper advertisements to celebrate 100 years of the RSS. Why is Government spending taxpayers money on an unregistered, non-tax-paying organisation to celebrate their centenary?," he added.
Why is public money being used to serve a private ideological project?
— Priyank Kharge / ಪ್ರಿಯಾಂಕ್ ಖರ್ಗೆ (@PriyankKharge) April 16, 2026
Modi Sarkar spent ₹76,13,129 of public money on newspaper advertisements to celebrate 100 years of the RSS.
Why is Government spending taxpayers money on an unregistered, non-tax-paying organisation to… pic.twitter.com/EoZ6Pim3IM
According to reports, the RSS describes itself as a volunteer-based organisation and has stated that it functions as a body of individuals rather than a registered entity.
Founded by Keshav Baliram Hedgewar in 1925, the organisation is marking its centenary year beginning from Vijaydashami in 2025, with the milestone observed on October 2.
