Panaji, Oct 4 (TOI): The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday announced that the programme to felicitate defence minister Manohar Parrikar for the surgical strikes in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) has been postponed.

South Goa member of parliament Narendra Sawaikar told reporters that considering the situation on the border and Parrikar being the country's defence minister, the programme has been postponed. "Parrikar is also due to attend an important meeting and has decided not to travel outside Delhi," Sawaikar added.

Sawaikar did not state when the programme has been postponed to.

The decision to felicitate Parrikar with a public function was announced after the BJP's state executive committee meeting on Saturday, and it invited criticism from various quarters. BJP had planned to get supporters from across the state to Panaji on 9,000 two-wheelers to attend the programme.

Savoikar said, "It was not a felicitation programme. It was to congratulate Parrikar as he is the first Goan to become a cabinet minister and it is for the first time since 1971 that the Indian Army has entered PoK."