NT NETWORK
PANAJI
Vishwajit Rane, the minister newly inducted into the Manohar Parrikar-led state cabinet, Wednesday said that he would follow the directions and guidance of the Chief Minister and also follow the party agenda with regard to his portfolio in a coordinated manner and see to it that the Chief Minister feels proud to have him as a minister in the cabinet.
Vishwajit said that he has decided to immediately call on the Chief Minister to discuss on a broad framework on which he would function as per Parrikar’s guidance.
When pressmen pointed out that he had earlier criticised various initiatives of the health department including the Deen Dayal Health Insurance scheme during the last term of the government when he was in the Opposition, Vishwajit admitted to the criticism but said that Parrikar was not in Goa then, but at the Centre.
Stating that allocation of portfolios is the prerogative of the Chief Minister, Vishwajit said that he will try to do justice to the portfolio that would be allocated to him, after studying details of the issues, which, he said, would take a week’s time. He categorically stated that in case he is allocated the Health portfolio, he would resolve all the issues pertaining to the department that he had raised in the past.
He also said that he had worked with Parrikar as chairman of the Goa Tourism Development Corporation in the past and that he is aware of the functioning style of the Chief Minister. “I will try to work in that framework,” he said.
Vishwajit, who recently joined BJP after resigning from Congress party, had brought over 800 of his supporters for the swearing-in ceremony held at the Raj Bhavan on Wednesday.
