Ex-Chief Minister gets 'lifetime status' in Goa cabinet

Panaji: The government of Goa has accorded "lifetime cabinet status" to former Chief Minister Pratapsingh Raoji Rane who served as CM, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly and MLA in a career spanning fifty years, announced Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Twitter.

"Our Government has decided to grant lifelong Cabinet status to the senior most legislator, Shri Pratapsingh Rane ji, for his great service to the State of Goa. He has held the topmost positions in the state as the Chief Minister and Speaker of Goa Legislative Assembly," Sawant tweeted on Friday.

"He will always be an inspiration to the people of Goa across strata. I look forward to his continued guidance as we work towards the welfare of the people and development of the State. I congratulate him and wish him all the very best in all his future endeavours," he added.

The 87-year-old Congress MLA had been the chief minister for four terms from 1987 till 2007 on different occasions and is its longest serving Chief Minister. He and now represents the Poriem assembly segment as an MLA. Chief Minister Sawant has also vowed to make the honour available to any other person who completes 50 years as MLA, with additional experience of being a Chief Minister or Speaker.

Pratapsingh Rane's son Vishwajit, who is the state's Health Minister, took tot Twitter to express his congratulations and to thank the Goa government for the honour they had accorded to his father.

The move comes days after Rane's son, Vishwajit, who is in charge of the state's health ministry, said he would defeat his 11-time MLA father by 11,000 votes, following which the Congress announced the senior Rane's name from Poriem again. Vishwajit had alleged that his aging father had lost touch with the voters and urged him to retire from active politics.