He said he was allotted just one starred question for discussion in the first week of the monsoon Assembly session, and will be allowed only one in the next week as well.
He claimed that the government had changed the procedure to allow more questions from the ruling party MLAs and give fewer opportunities to opposition MLAs to highlight the various scams and misdeeds of the government. He warned the ruling dispensation that it would lose people’s faith due to its conduct in the Assembly.
Highlighting the negatives of the paperless Assembly, Sardessai said, “The government is trying to dilute the importance of the Assembly. There is very little time to place demands, and the important issues of the people are left out. I am having this press conference as these issues need to be put to the public domain.”
Expressing displeasure over the reduced duration of the session, Sardessai said, “There are so many issues we have to highlight and take to their conclusive end. The time of the session has been reduced and the scope is decreased. The paperless session has affected the transparent functioning of the Assembly and made it a voiceless session. The rule says the answers have to reach 48 hours prior to appearance, which doesn’t happen. The worst-affected is the press, which cannot understand the matters discussed.”
He continued, “Various LAQs submitted by me were also disallowed. They pertained to the number of business days of the Assembly, setting up of a new port terminal at berth No 7 by Adani Ports Ltd, details of the inquiry into the Rs 100 crore bond scam, and a question on procurement of cows by the government. It is for the people to decide why replies to such questions are being disallowed by the government.”
Sardesai also took part in a discussion regarding the market borrowings of the State, solid waste management plant at Sonsoddo, hike in electricity tariffs, beach cleaning tender scam, and others.
