With Goa at heart, I will never forget my roots: Parrikar
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THE GOAN NETWORK
PANAJI: Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said the 10 per cent export duty on iron ore should be abolished ‘at least for the time being till the international prices rise again.’
PANAJI
Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar enthralled the audience as he faced queries regarding his transition from being a State leader to a Union one as well as how much he misses Goa and the much-hyped beef issue.
In a tete-a-tete with Gaurav Sawant, senior editor of the India Today group, Parrikar assured the audience that he will never forget Goa as “no politician can forget their roots”.
“My political roots are in Goa. Who does not keep in touch with his roots is no politician,” Parrikar said when asked about his frequent trips to Goa.
To another question on whether the had abandoned the State after moving to Delhi, Parrikar assured the audience that “no one is irreplaceable.”
“History has shown us that leaders come and go and after a while a new leader is born. Time is the solution. That being said I will do what I can to support the administration of Goa,” he said.
Parrikar admitted that he didn’t move out around in Delhi like the way he did in Goa saying that he confines himself to his residence at 10, Akbar Road, Prime Minister’s Cabinet meeting room, the Ministry of Defence and Parliament House.
“In Delhi you do not know whom to trust and whom not to,” Parrikar said even as he said he preferred the Goa weather to Delhi.
At the request of Calangute MLA Michael Lobo, Parrikar agreed to develop his home village of Parra as a model village.
“I will take up Parra,” Parrikar quipped after cross questioning Lobo as to which village he would like him to take up.
The function was organised as a fundraiser by the Rotary Club of Panaji for the various services it funds especially in the field of education and that of special children with the setting up of vocational centres for special children as well as Happy Schools as per Rotary International guidelines.
Parrikar is an honorary member of the Rotary Club of Panaji.
Goa Miners have been pitching for the reduction in export duty of iron ore citing the fact that the international price has depreciated. The central government, at the insistence of the Goa mining lobby, had already reduced the export duty from 30% to 10% earlier.
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BOX:
'Need to abolish iron
ore export duty'
Speaking at the tete with Gaurav Sawant, Parrikar said he would ask the Ministry concerned to withdraw the tax.
“The mining industry in Goa might just be able to pull through because of the depreciation of the rupee. The duty should be withdrawn. If it is withdrawn, then the industry has some chance to come up,” Parrikar said.
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Parrikar plays safe
on beef ban demand
THE GOAN NETWORK
PANAJI: A decision on demand for a country-wide beef ban cannot be taken just because a section of people is asking for it, Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said.
Parrikar was answering a question on whether the central government should impose a countrywide beef ban, as demanded by the Baba Ramdev along with several others.
Several things have to be considered including the health, cruelty to animals, etc. A government decision has to be fair to everyone,” Parrikar said without directly ruling out a ban on beef.
He cited the example of vegetarians getting into fights with neighbours who fry fish in the same colony.
“Some vegetarians may want the whole world to eat only veg. This will result in a spurt in prices of veggies that at one point even the vegetarians won’t have vegetables to eat,” Parrikar said hinting that beef is a cheap source of food a supplements dietary needs of a country. “It (the government) has to find a solution,” Parrikar said.
Speaking on the Dadri issue, Parrikar rejected the idea that violence was a RSS value.
“I have been a hardcore RSS functionary from my childhood. This (Dadri lynching) has nothing to do with RSS. Indian society is a tolerant and understanding society where solutions are reached through discussion and compromise,” he said.
“Sometimes local issues are blown out of proportion,” Parrikar said insisting that he wasn’t referring to any particular incident.
When asked about the Sanatan Sanstha, Parrikar said that the government would have to build a case against them so that any ban once effected would stand the scrutiny of the judicial review.
