Still don't feel like going to Delhi: Parrikar
GOANEWS DESK, PANAJI | 21 November 2014 07:14 IST
“I still don’t feel like going to Delhi”, said defence minister Manohar Parrikar at IFFI inaugural once again, when the crowd kept on cheering at him.
The 5000-old Shamaprasad Mukherjee Stadium rose to its feet only thrice with cheers when three celebrities entered – Big B Amitabh Bachchan, Rajanikanth and Parrikar.
In fact the crowd cheered every time when other dignitaries also took Parrikar’s name in their speech.
Comparatively, there are hardly any claps for the new chief minister Laxmikant Parsekar.
In fact he was told to remain on the stage for a speech when he was called to felicitate the dancing troupe leaders.
“मै मेरा भाषण नीचे भूल आया. मुझे मालूम नहीं था मुझे यही रुकनेको बोलेंगे”, he started in Hindi, tried a bit and then gave up.
“थोडी थोडी आदत पड रही है”, he said and the crowd cheered once again with a great laughter.
Parrikar then jumped and Konkani amidst large applause and shifted to English.
"This place (Goa) is beautiful. I am still not feeling like going back to Delhi," he said and the crowd cheered once again.
After serving as Goa’s most popular chief minister after first CM Bhausaheb Bandodkar, Parrikar had resigned this month after ruling for two and a half years, to take up as defence minister of the country.
Parsekar was then sworn in as the new chief minister.
Stating that the Lusofonaia infrastructure including the stadium was built in record 10 months, Parrikar – in a chief minister style – assured the gathering to build IFFI infrastructure before next IFFI.
“The next IFFI will have its own complex”, he said, reiterating the assurance of his successor Parsekar to build IFFI Secretariat at Dona Paula.
