Unfazed by mere 4-day session, Goa Oppn set to give govt a hard time

Panaji, Dec 25 Unhappy with the decision of Goa Assembly Speaker to hold the winter session of Assembly for four days only, seven MLAs of four different parties in opposition have decided to meet on December 26 to discuss joint floor management strategies to grill the state government.

The Assembly session will be held from January 16 to 19.

Equation of the 40-member Assembly of Goa is in the favour of ruling BJP with its own 28 MLAs and support of other 5 MLAs, taking the number to 33 MLAs. The opposition has three MLAs from Congress, two MLAs from AAP and one each of Goa Forward Party and Revolutionary Goan Party.

According to Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao, all opposition leaders will meet on December 26, which includes Goa Forward Party MLA Vijai Sardesai, AAP MLAs Venzy Viegas and Cruz Silva, Revolutionary Goan Party MLA Viresh Borkar along with Congress' Carlos Alvares Ferreira and Altone D'Costa.

Earlier, during the monsoon session which was trimmed to mere ten days, the opposition MLAs had levelled several allegations against the BJP government for not giving enough time to discuss issues.

Monsoon session was scheduled from July 11 to August 12, for five weeks, but was later curtailed to two weeks, inviting wrath from the opposition.

Goa Assembly Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar had clarified that it was curtailed to ten days on account of Panchayat elections then scheduled in the second week of August.

"Chief Minister Pramod Sawant during the Business Advisory Committee meeting on Thursday expressed concern that he government staff will be engaged in the Panchayat elections and hence they won't be able to manage both, along with the Assembly session," Tawadkar had said.

During the monsoon session the opposition MLAs had constantly complained that they were not getting enough time to discuss the issues pertaining to the state and were of the opinion that at least winter session should be of longer duration. However, it is now scheduled only for four days, making opposition MLAs unhappy.

Stating that the BJP government in Goa was scared of the opposition and hence has convened the winter session of Assembly for a mere four days, leader of opposition Yuri Alemao has said that the opposition MLAs will prepare a strategy to grill the state government.

"The 'coward' BJP government is trying to suppress the voice of the opposition and transform the proceedings of the House into a silent mode. But we, the seven opposition MLAs, are together and will grill the government on several issues," Alemao said.

"I have personally spoken to all the six MLAs from the opposition and they all have agreed to meet and prepare a strategy to grill the government. We will certainly make a difference," Alemao added.

"It is loud and clear that the BJP government is scared of the opposition," he claimed.

Alemao said that the government will not be in a position to silence the voice of the opposition MLAs.

"Chief Minister Pramod Sawant should realise that 67 per cent of Goans had voted against the BJP for its misrule over the last 10 years. The opposition has the mandate of the people of Goa," he said.

Goa Forward Party MLA Vijai Sardesai also said that the government was afraid to face the opposition and hence the Assembly sessions were trimmed.

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