A way to keep those without ministerial power) happy is to use food as an enticement. How else can you explain Digambar Kamat, Pratapsing Rane and Manohar Parrikar splurging Rs 15,82,251 on food for their ilk. And by the way, even in his short stint as power minister and amid the daily power stoppages and fluctuations, Alexio Sequeira could find the spark to spend Rs 1,03,590 on a dinner for the KIP Group at the Radisson.
Stomach this!
If chief ministers and ministers of the ruling party need to press home their guiding principle that development means building elegant holiday homes in Goa for Mumbai's and Delhi's prosperous tax evaders and, to hell with the potable water needs of the aam aadmi or their trepidation at being segregated in their own villages; one way I guess to keep the rest of the flock (and without ministerial power) happy is to use food as an enticement.
A minister after all is like a demigod. He has all the spending powers and the excuses to holiday like Churchill Alemao did in London trying to fit into the shoes of his cigar chomping namesake (mercifully, only) Sir Winston Churchill though not quite slipping into them while Goa's taps ran dry or, Digambar Kamat holidaying in Kashmir and being awed by it while the aam aadmi was being robbed wholesale by thieves working with impunity at night. Or, Vishwajit Rane holidaying in France.
How else can you explain Digambar Kamat, Pratapsing Rane and Manohar Parrikar splurging Rs 15,82,251 on food for their ilk. Food for thought indeed! And by the way, even in his short stint as power minister and amid all the daily power stoppages and fluctuations, Alexio Sequeira could find the spark in himself to spend Rs 1,03,590 on a dinner for the KIP Group at the Radisson. On January 16, 2008 he also hosted a dinner for Sherali Kharyreulla, the Tajikistan defence minister, and others at the Sun & Sand that cost the taxpayer Rs 48,223.
And as parties go, there is little difference. The BJP like to describe themselves as a party with a difference. But the only difference is in the watering holes they patronize as can be seen in Manohar Parrikar's dining-out experience. When it comes down to it, development may be the name of the game but the route to it is through the stomach, even for the BJP. Who cares if taps run dry or for the power outages, the aam aadmi can wait while the powers that be (and should not be!) partake of the repast.
Manohar Parrikar
23.05.04 dinner for A.Venkateshwarm, Arvind Ray at Mandovi Rs 11,659+Rs 3,200 on gifts.
26.05.04 dinner for Canadian delegation at Cidade de Goa Rs 17,630.
29.06.04 official lunch at Ruchira Bar, Mapusa Rs 4,500.
01.07.04 -20.12.04 daily official lunches at Ruchira Bar Rs 1,70,050.
06.07.04 lunch for ministers, MLA's at Samarath Caterers Rs 2,400.
07.07.04 dinner for Prof Satish Udapur, Prof Lalitha Udapur, Michigan State University at Goa Marriott Rs 16,715.
30.07.04 dinner for ex-PM at Mandovi Rs 33,990.
27.08.04 dinner for Association of Indian Management Schools at Cidade de Goa Rs 72,815.
22.09.04 dinner for invitees at Mandovi Rs 9,504.
08.10.04 dinner for Canada-India Institute Industrial Project delegates at Mandovi Rs 1,69,325.
08.11.04 -dinner for XXIX Jr National Badminton Championship Rs 44,500.
08.12.04 -lunch for select journalists covering IFFI at Nova Goa Rs 50,720.
08.12.04 lunch for select journalist covering IFFI at Nova Goa Rs 17,080.
12.01.05 dinner for Indian Forest Service officers at Cidade de Goa Rs 48,328.
10.01.05 -14.01.05 official lunch at Ruchira Bar Rs 20,000
23.06.05 -lunch for select journalists at Ruchira Bar Rs 8,100.
23.08.05 dinner at Nova Goa Rs 12,500.
08.10.05 -dinner for select journalists at Nova Goa Rs 7,280.
12.12.05 dinner for 30 at Mandovi Rs 14,288.
05.02.06 lunch for 15 at Nova Goa Rs 4,593.
August, 2005, February-March 2006 -Lunch for MLAs during Assembly session at Ruchira Bar Rs 1,08,900.
26.03.06 -dinner for 60 at Mandovi Rs 27,563.
05.05.06 dinner for 60 at Mandovi Rs 23,625.
21.07.06 -dinner for 11 at Nova Goa Rs 9,930.
02.08.06 dinner for 70 at Mandovi Rs 31,759.
04.08.06 dinner for 16 at Mandovi Rs 10,631.
14.10.06 lunch for MLAs Rs 6,500.
20.12.06 -lunch for MLAs, invitees at Nova Goa Rs 15,645.
10.07.06-31.07.06 lunch for MLAs during Assembly session at Ruchira Bar Rs 1,07,104.
20.01.07 -dinner for MLAs at Mandovi Rs 7,875.
22-25.01.07 lunch for MLAs during Assembly session at Ruchira Bar Rs 36,224.
08.03.07 lunch for ruling ministers, MLAs at O 'Coqueiro Rs 29,000.
03.03.07 dinner for MLAs, invitees at Mandovi Rs 12,206.
05-09.03.07 lunch for MLAs during Assembly session at Ruchira Bar Rs 39,376.
Total spent on entertainment between May 2004 and March 2007 was Rs 12,05,515 of which Rs 5,59,780 was spent on entertaining MLAs and ministers.
The government's food bill so far:
Digambar Kamat Rs 36,47,744
Pratapsing Rane Rs 39,72,941
Manohar Parrikar Rs 12,05,515
Total Rs 88,262,00
