Team Herald
Porvorim: Stormy scenes marked the first day of Goa’s two-day Assembly session on Thursday, with several Opposition MLAs staging a walkout during Governor PS Sridharan Pillai’s address. Apart from the curtailed session, they were protesting against the destruction of greenery and scandals like the cash-for-jobs scam.
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However, what stood out amid the ruckus was the lack of floor coordination among the Opposition parties during the protest. Initially, most of the Opposition MLAs walked out, but within a short while, some of them had come back – Congress’s Carlos Alvares Ferreira, AAP’s Venzy Viegas and Cruz Silva, and RGP’s Viresh Borkar. In contrast, Leader of the Opposition, Congress’s Yuri Alemao, and party MLA Altone D’Costa did not return. Goa Forward Party MLA Vijai Sardesai remained in the Assembly throughout, holding a placard on issues like the job scam.
Even as Goa reels under multiple scandals, the Opposition disunity raises questions about their seriousness in putting the government performance under scrutiny.
The commotion began as soon as the Governor began his address, with Alemao criticising the reduced duration of the Assembly session, saying, “The Kerala Assembly meets for an average of 50 days a year, while Goa’s average is only 26 days. This is the bulldozing of democracy.” Alemao’s statement was interrupted by the Speaker, after which he and the other opposition MLAs left the House.
The opposition also raised objections to the first report of the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) for 2025, presented by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant. The opposition argued that the report failed to incorporate their written objections regarding the shortened session. Despite the opposition’s refusal to accept the report, it was passed by a voice vote and accepted by the House.
In a press conference in his chamber later, Yuri Alemao expressed frustration over the government’s lack of attention to pressing issues, saying, “When there are so many burning issues, the opposition wanted to ask the Governor whether he would address them in his speech. When they refused to address these issues, we walked out. They are pushing bills without giving us enough time to study them.”
Sardesai, speaking on the matter, criticised the cabinet, saying the ministers were avoiding accountability. “Members of the cabinet do not want to give answers, which is why the session has been called for just a day. There is a need to fix dates on the calendar for the Assembly session and also the number of days it will be held,” he remarked.
Alemao reiterated his point, stating, “The Governor did not address the issues that were raised, and we walked out as a sign of protest. This was a spur-of-the-moment decision. The government is not serious about the pressing issues we face.” He added that the opposition would continue to press for a more robust and transparent session calendar to ensure accountability in governance.
AAP’s Benaulim MLA Venzy Viegas said, “Is it possible to have ‘Sabka Saath (everybody’s support), Sabka Vikas (everybody’s development), Sabka Vishwas (everybody’s trust) and Sabka Prayas’ (everybody’s attempt) in a session of one day? We condemn this one day assembly session because it lacks ‘Saath’ (support), ‘Vikas’ (development) and ‘Prayas’ (attempt). I condemn this government for trying to show this is development for all.”
