By PTI
PANAJI: A day after being snubbed by senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis over poll ticket, Utpal Parrikar, son of former Goa chief minister late Manohar Parrikar, on Thursday asked whether the party believes in integrity and character or not.
He also said that the BJP leaders from Panaji assembly constituency, who earlier worked with his father, are currently supporting him in his campaign.
On Wednesday, Fadnavis had said that the party can’t give a ticket to anybody for the February 14 Goa assembly polls just because he is a son of a leader.
His comment was apparently aimed at Utpal Parrikar, who has been lobbying to get the party’s candidature from the Panaji assembly seat.
Panaji constituency is currently represented by BJP MLA Atanasio Monserratte, who had shifted from Congress to BJP in 2019.
“I am a small party worker and cannot comment on what senior leader like Devendra Fadnavis has said. But if I wanted to ask for a ticket just because I am son of Manohar Parrikar, then I would have demanded it last time (during the by-election held after the death of Parrikar),” he said.
The former defence minister died on May 17, 2019.
Utpal Parrikar said that he continues to meet the voters in Panaji constituency.
“Those BJP leaders who were with my father right from 1994 are currently with me,” he said.
Expressing unhappiness over the way “things are happening in Goa”, he asked whether integrity and character do not matter.
“Will the party give ticket to the person with criminal antecedents in the constituency represented by late Manohar Parrikar?” he asked, apparently referring to Monserratte, who is currently facing a trial in a rape case.
“This is not just about Panaji. The political situation unfolding in Goa is not acceptable. It has to change,” Parrikar said.
