Parrikar holds meeting at secretariat amid political tensions over his health

Ailing Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar held a meeting with some of his Cabinet ministers and government officials at the secretariat here on Wednesday, an official said. Parrikar, 63, who underwent treatment for a pancreatic ailment at private hospitals in Mumbai and the US last year, had on Tuesday attended his office at the secretariat for the first time in the last four months.

On Wednesday, Parrikar, with his medical appendage, arrived at his office at the secretariat around 10.30 am. "He held meetings with few ministers and senior government officials till 1 pm before going back home," a senior official in the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said. Parrikar met his Cabinet colleagues, including Urban Development Minister Milind Naik, Panchayat Minister Mauvin Godinho and Fisheries Minister Vinod Palekar, he said.

The chief minister also held a meeting with Director General of Police Muktesh Chander and later met NCP MLA Churchill Alemao, the CMO said. When contacted, Palekar said there was no formal discussion on any matter during his meeting with Parrikar. "I just met him to inquire about his health," the minister added.

(With inputs from agencies.)