Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar (PTI Photo) Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar (PTI Photo)

Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on Friday thanked Congress leader Digvijaya Singh for failing to cobble together a majority in the state despite the party winning the largest number of assembly seats. Parrikar came to the Rajya Sabha during the Zero Hour and thanked the chairman, Deputy Chairman and other members.

“I express my thanks to the Chairman, Deputy Chairman and members of this house for their support during my tenure as Raksha Mantri (Defence Minister), and invite them to Goa whenever they want to come,” Parrikar said.

“My special thanks to honourable member Digvijaya Singh, who happened to be in Goa but did nothing so that I could form the government,” he said.

Digvijaya Singh has given notice for a substantive motion to discuss in the house the conduct of Goa Governor Mridula Sinha, which is now pending for two weeks. Outside the house, Parrikar said there was no question of immorality in the way the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) formed the government in Goa with the help of smaller parties and Independents.

“Other parties supported us as they didn’t trust the Congress…It’s a coalition government and there is no question of morality of immorality in it,” Parrikar said.

The Congress won 17 seats in the February 4 state assembly elections and emerged as the single largest party, while the BJP won only 13 seats. The BJP, however, managed to form a coalition government with support from Independent legislators and regional parties.

Parrikar ruled out the possibility of coalition partners switching loyalties. “Not as long as I am there,” he said. Asked why he gave special thanks to Digvijaya Singh, Parrikar replied: “I thanked him for his incompetence.”

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