Congress criticises Parrikar for attending programs in Goa while 'Kashmir was burning'

Panaji: The Goa unit of Congress on Monday criticised Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar for attending programs in his native state when Jammu and Kashmir was on the boil.

“When Kashmir was burning, India’s Defence Minister was busy distributing bulbs to the people in Goa. This is shameful,” Congress spokesperson Sunil Kawathankar said in Panaji.

Parrikar should have been at the command centre monitoring the action in Kashmir, he said.

Kashmir remained on the boil and normal life paralysed due to curfew-like restrictions and separatists-sponsored strike over the killing of young Hizbul commander Burhan Wani on Friday. A total of 23 people have been killed in the violence.

The Defence Minister had on Sunday distributed free LED bulbs under the Ujala Scheme at a program in Panaji.

Goa government has tweaked the scheme, renaming it ‘Jyotirmay Goa’, under which three bulbs are provided free to every consumer.

Kawathankar also said that Parrikar was busy inaugurating fish stalls in his home state and Prime Minister Narendra Modi was signing Rafale deal in France.

“This gives a bleak picture of BJP government’s failure with regard to the defence ministry,” he added.