The opposition in the State has the responsibility of raising in the State Legislative Assembly the issues that concern the people of the State. It is their duty, it is the reason why they have been elected. It has to be done systematically and the entire opposition has to act together if they hope to make an impact. Raising placards in the Assembly hall, as was done on the first day of the current session, may get the opposition some TRP on live television, if that’s what they are looking for, but the issues will not be addressed. For that, the opposition has to raise them at the right time and get assurances from the government. That is how it works. Raising slogans and holding placards are methods best suited for the protest grounds and not for the floor of the House. Here it is debate that works.
In July last when the Assembly met for a single day due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the State’s opposition had moved an adjournment motion to discuss the financial status and the COVID pandemic management. This was disallowed and the opposition MLAs walked out of the Legislative Assembly, an act that permitted the government to pass the Budget for the financial year without any discussion and to transact a record amount of business on a single day as it also passed the Demands for Grants without any cut motions and discussions and further 11 government bills. A walkout by the opposition from the Assembly will not serve the purpose of raising the issues, but an intelligent debate will.
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There are pressing issues that need to be debated in the Assembly. For the better part of 2020 and spilling into 2021, there has been a sustained campaign against the three linear protects – double tracking of the South Western Railway line, expansion of highway and Tamnar power project – that will lead to the felling of thousands of trees in the Mollem forest. The opposition to the projects comes from the fact that the people are of the opinion that all three projects are meant to serve the coal industry, hastening the delivery of coal from the Mormugao port to the end destination. If the opposition expects to get a definite answer from the government on these issues – the purpose of the projects – it has to raise them in the House and not resort to sloganeering.
Leader of the Opposition Digambar Kamat has wondered that ‘with a short Assembly, how will the MLAs raise issues?’ and has demanded for a longer session to ‘discuss the crucial issues of Goa’. If indeed the Opposition leader and the other MLAs he leads believe that these are critical matters for discussion, they should find the way to raise them up. Kamat, a legislator with over 26 years of expereince and a former Chief Minister who served a full term, should surely know how to do this. The people of Goa who have been fighting against the coal transportation expect the opposition to play their role in the Assembly and bring the people’s issues to the House.
It is only debate in the Assembly, with pertinent questions posed to the government, that can yield results. Playing to the galleries, or rather the television viewers, will not help. It may appear that the opposition is doing a job but in reality it will be failing in its duty to the people. The opposition has three days to take up the coal transportation issue in the Assembly. A walkout in protest will not serve the purpose, as it will not get the answers to the questions from the government. As elected people’s representatives the MLAs have to play their role in the House.
