Panaji: The opposition Congress demanded on Monday that President's rule be imposed in Goa in the wake of the absence of chief minister Manohar Parrikar, who is currently in the US for a medical treatment.
Congress' Goa spokesman Ramakant Khalap said the state is facing a "constitutional crisis", and that he has sought an appointment with Governor Mridula Sinha to press for his party's demand for President's rule. Parrikar has been "constantly absent" from the state because of health reasons, without handing over his charge to anyone, he said.
Also, Goa's power minister Pandurang Madkaikar and urban development minister Francis D'Souza have been down with ailments, he noted while talking to reporters here.
There is no deadline when the CM and these ministers will be back in the state, Khalap said, adding "it is time for Governor Mridula Sinha to intervene in the matter as the state is facing a constitutional crisis".
Parrikar, 62, underwent treatment at a US hospital for a pancreatic ailment between March and June this year. He flew to the US again on August 10 for a follow-up and returned on August 22, but was admitted to a private hospital in Mumbai the next day. He left for the US again last Thursday on doctors' advice and is expected to return on September 8, a senior BJP leader said Friday.