Where is your Hindutva: Goa Shiv Sena to Bhagat Singh Koshyari over beef issue
Panaji, Dec 23: The Shiv Sena in Goa on Wednesday chided Bhagat Singh Koshyari, currently Governor of both Maharashtra as well as Goa, for his silence over Chief Minister Pramod Sawant's overtures to minority communities in the coastal state over providing adequate supply of beef amid a shortage.
Speaking to reporters in Panaji, Jitesh Kamat, state president of the Shiv Sena in Goa, said that his party was surprised by Koshyari's silence on Sawant's willingness to provide live cattle for slaughter in Goa, especially when two months ago the Governor had attacked Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray for denying Hindus entry to temples during the Covid-19 lockdown.
"Where is Bhagat Singh Koshyari now when the Goa CM has assured arrangement for providing beef in Goa? Hindus worship cows. When the Maharashtra government did not open temples due to Covid-19, the same Governor had asked Uddhav Thackeray 'where is your Hindutva?'" Kamat said.
"We ask Koshyari, when the BJP government in Goa led by CM Pramod Sawant has facilitated slaughter of cattle in Goa, why are you quiet today? Where is your Hindutva? You were making tall claims about Hindutva in Maharashtra then. You should lecture Sawant in the same manner now," Kamat also said.
Koshyari and Thackeray had a run-in after the former slammed the Maharashtra CM for not opening temples in the state, which were closed due to a high rate of Covid-19 infection at the time.
The Shiv Sena in response had accused Koshyari of "crossing limits" and lowering the prestige of his post.
Beef is in short supply in Goa, more than a week after the Karnataka government passed a stringent anti-cattle slaughter law. Goa consumes nearly 25 tons of beef every day, most of which is sourced from Karnataka.
In view of the shortage, especially ahead of the festive week, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has assured that the Goa government will actively work with beef traders to ensure that there is no shortage in availability of red meat.
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India-bound LPG tanker clears Hormuz
New Delhi (PTI): A tanker carrying liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) for India has sailed out of the Strait of Hormuz and is now headed towards the country, an official statement said on Sunday.
The Marshall Islands-flagged LPG carrier MT Sarv Shakti, loaded with 46,313 tonnes of LPG and staffed by 20 crew, including 18 Indians, cleared the key shipping chokepoint on May 2 and is expected to reach Visakhapatnam on May 13, it said.
The cargo -- enough to meet half a days requirement of the country -- will partly tide over supply constraints being faced since the start of the West Asia conflict more than two months back.
Ship-tracking data showed its position in Oman Gulf on Sunday evening.
The very large gas carrier has previously made runs between the Persian Gulf and Indian ports, has been chartered by state-owned Indian Oil Corporation (IOC).
Sarv Shakti is the first India-linked tanker to cross the war zone since a weeks-old US blockade of ships tied to Iran began, pushing transits through Hormuz back down to almost zero.
There are as many as 14 Indian flagged or India-owned vessels still stranded on the west side of the Strait of Hormuz.
The statement said no incident involving Indian-flagged vessels has been reported in the past 24 hours. The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways is working closely with the Ministry of External Affairs, Indian missions and maritime stakeholders to ensure crew welfare and uninterrupted operations.
The Directorate General of Shipping (DG Shipping) control room has handled 8,373 calls and more than 17,965 emails since activation, including 38 calls and 127 emails in the last 24 hours.
India has also facilitated the repatriation of more than 2,953 seafarers so far, including 31 in the past day from across the Gulf region.
Port operations across the country remain normal with no congestion reported, the statement added.
