Parrikar threatening people from hospital: Congress
Panaji, Sep 21 : The Congress on Friday alleged that ailing Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar is "threatening people" from his hospital room.
The party also demanded a medical bulletin on the status of the Chief Minister, who after being hospitalised in Goa, Mumbai and New York over the last few months, is now being treated for advanced pancreatic cancer at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi.
"He may be in the hospital yes. I hope you (Parrikar) are very well but I am getting messages that while sitting in the hospital, you are calling people, threatening them," Congress observer for Goa A. Chellakumar said. This is the first direct assault by the Congress.
The allegation comes a day after Vijai Sardesai, President of the Goa Forward Party, a coalition ally, told the media that Parrikar spoke to him over the phone on Thursday over administrative matters.
Chellakumar also said that in view of the Chief Minister's alleged involvement in a Rs 1.44 lakh crore illegal mining scam which is being probed by the Goa Lokayukta, he should assure the people that he would forfeit his properties if he is found guilty.
"I pray to God even now, let Manohar Parrikar get well soon. Let God give him a long life, but it is my duty also to remind him. All these days you initiated so many actions on so many former ministers. In all the corruption charges, you filed complaints. Moreover you have attached some of their properties also. Now it is your turn," Chellakumar said.
The Goa Lokayukta is probing the mining lease allotment scam, in which former Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar who succeeded Parrikar and held office from 2014 to 2017, is one of the key accused.
Parsekar in his affidavit filed before the anti-corruption body has said, that he renewed the bulk of the mining leases by adopting processes put in place by his predecessor and that the renewals were done in adherence to a formal policy, on advice from the advocate general and were in sync with a High Court ruling.
The BJP has denied the allegations, calling them "baseless and unsubstantiated".
The Congress observer is in Goa to monitor political developments following Parrikar's hospitalisation that have raised doubts over the continuance of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led coalition government.
With ruling allies and several Independent MLAs stepping up pressure on the BJP for a greater role in governance as well as on issues related to choice of a leader of the coalition, the Congress too claims that it is in touch with disgruntled non-BJP MLAs, who Chellakumar said, are keen on a switch over.
But he clarified that the Congress is not in a hurry to form a government in the coastal state.
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AAP indulging in 'dangerous vendetta politics': Raghav Chadha after meeting President Murmu
New Delhi (PTI): Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha on Tuesday accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Punjab government of indulging in 'vendetta politics' and misusing the state machinery to target the MPs who recently quit the party and merged with the BJP in the Rajya Sabha.
Chadha, along with three other MPs, met President Droupadi Murmu on Tuesday and submitted a representation alleging harassment and "politically motivated" action against them following their exit from AAP.
Rajya Sabha MPs Rajinder Gupta and Ashok Mittal were part of the delegation.
"All those MPs who exercised their constitutional right to express disagreement with the Aam Aadmi Party and chose to leave it, and all these incidents and developments, have been presented today before the President of India. I also want to tell the Aam Aadmi Party that as long as we were obedient, we were considered cultured. The moment we left, we were branded corrupt," Chadha told reporters here after the meeting.
He alleged that several former AAP MPs who have joined the BJP are facing intimidation and coercive actions from state agencies.
"The Aam Aadmi Party, which accuses everyone else of revenge politics, is today itself indulging in dangerous vendetta politics. Since April 24, when we left AAP and merged with the BJP, our MPs are being systematically targeted and harassed," he said.
Citing specific instances, Chadha claimed that former cricketer and MP Harbhajan Singh has been attacked, while industrialist and MP Rajendra Gupta's business operations have allegedly been disrupted.
"We left the Aam Aadmi Party on April 24, 2026, and merged with the BJP. Since then, harassment of our MPs has begun. First, World Cup-winning cricketer Harbhajan Singh had "traitor" written outside his house. Stones were thrown at his residence with the help of Punjab Police, and offensive slogans were raised targeting his family," he alleged.
"Then, our colleague Rajinder Gupta, a Padma Shri awardee and an industrialist running a major factory in Punjab's Malwa region--providing livelihood to around 30,000 people--had his factory targeted. The Punjab government allegedly cut off its water supply, and the Pollution Board conducted raids to initiate its closure," he said.
He further claimed that cases have been registered against MP Sandeep Pathak, terming them "malicious and fabricated".
"These FIRs and notices are so frivolous that they are not worth the paper they are written on. The judiciary will tear them apart," Chadha said.
He warned the AAP government that such actions could have serious consequences. "Using vigilance, the Pollution Board, and the police for political revenge is a dangerous game. You may have started it, but the end will not be good. This must stop," he said.
"The AAP has a government in one state and control over the police there. The BJP has governments in 21 states and control over police forces in those states," he added.
Chadha also alleged that attempts are being made to target him next through "fabricated cases" and claimed that social media campaigns are being run to malign them.
Appealing to Punjab government officials, he urged them not to act under political pressure. "I want to tell officials that you are respected officers. Do not succumb to threats of transfer or suspension. Act according to law and in national interest," he said.
The Rajya Sabha MP also took a swipe at the AAP, saying those who invoke Mahatma Gandhi's ideals are now misusing state machinery for political purposes. "The people of Punjab must know how their government is being used to settle political scores," Chadha added.
Rajya Sabha MP Sandeep Pathak alleged that the party is now resorting to coercive measures out of "fear and panic".
"We joined the Aam Aadmi Party because it showed the country a dream -- a dream of starting a new kind of politics, an honest form of politics. While being there, due to ideological reasons and after witnessing several inconsistencies, we decided to leave the party," he said.
"Out of fear and panic, the Aam Aadmi Party is now filing FIRs. They are conducting raids in factories and trying to intimidate people through false FIRs. I want to say 'go ahead, file FIRs', but do not back off afterwards. We will fight legally," he told reporters.
Advising the AAP government, Pathak asserted that governance, not intimidation, is the only way forward.
"You cannot save a government through such dirty tactics. If you want to retain power, you must work honestly. If you think you can stop us through false and fabricated FIRs, that is not possible. We have stepped out ready to sacrifice everything and will do what is right for the country," he said.
Pathak mentioned that the President assured them that constitutional protections would be upheld.
Taking a swipe at the ruling party, Chadha said its tenure in Punjab is now short-lived. "This government has only a few months left; it will go. They will simply board the Shatabdi and return to Delhi. They have no future in Punjab," he said.
Later, in a post on X, Chadha said that he, along with three other MPs, conveyed to the President how the AAP's Punjab government is misusing state machinery to target them for exercising their constitutional rights.
"The party that once cried vendetta is now practising its most toxic form," he wrote.
"We take strength from the President's assurance that constitutional rights and democratic choices must be respected," he added, while likening the AAP's conduct to that of a "bitter and vindictive" former ally.
