Goa Deputy CM Vijai Sardesai on outburst over officer's ringing phone: 'regret losing cool'

Goa Deputy Chief Minister Vijai Sardesai has expressed regret after a video of him knocking off a ringing phone from a state administrative service officer's hand during an interaction went viral.

Narrating the incident, Mr Sardesai said in a statement that an important discussion was underway when suddenly the phone of the Chief Officer of the Margao Municipal Council (MMC) in South Goa started ringing, which left him irritated.

"We were discussing a very serious issue, which is a symbol of the failure of the civic body and the administration and which pertains to the entire Salcete in general and my constituency of Fatorda in particular.

I was irritated with the ringing phone when a topic of such seriousness was being discussed and for which specifically, I had come to the site. I regret that I lost my cool and have expressed the same to MMC's Chief Officer," Mr Sardesai said on Monday.

"Throw away the phone," the Deputy Chief Minister was seen shouting in the video, after slapping the ringing phone out of the government officer's hand to the ground. The officer then immediately picked up the phone.

 "You do not do any work. You are useless and your chairperson is also useless," the minister is heard saying.

Mr Sardesai and other officers were inspecting a garbage dump in South Goa when the incident happened.

-ANI