Team Herald
PORVORIM: The Congress legislators continued disrupting the proceedings of the State Legislative Assembly session for the third day on Monday demanding to consider the Adjournment motion moved by them on the formalin-fish issue.
The Congress moved a fresh Adjournment motion along with seeking postponement or suspension of Question Hour, after their earlier request was disallowed by the Speaker Pramod Sawant. Even on Monday, their motion was disallowed by the Speaker through a detail ruling, before the Opposition legislators rushed to the Well of the House shouting “shame…shame…”
The Speaker had to adjourn the House till 12.30noon. When the session resumed, Congress allowed the proceedings to take place as Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar replied to the calling attention motion on the formalin-fish issue moved by BJP MLA Nilesh Cabral and Congress MLA Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco.
Earlier, when the session assembled on Monday, the opposition benches began making noise during the Question Hour disrupting the proceedings. They demanded that their adjournment motion be allowed.
“This is an issue of 15 lakh people of the State. We need discussion on the issue. Our Adjournment motion which we have moved today should be admitted and discussion should be held on formalin being laced on the fish which is imported in Goa. The Speaker has disallowed our earlier motion on technical grounds and we have moved for a fresh one as suggested by Speaker,” Leader of Opposition Chandrakant Kavlekar said.
The Speaker, however, refused to entertain the Adjournment motion and pointed out that a Calling Attention motion on the same issue was on the agenda for the day. He also said that as per ruling, such motions are not entertained during the Budget session.
Speaker quoted the ruling of the former Lok Sabha Speaker Shivraj Patil, “adjournment motions are not normally allowed during the Budget discussion or during the discussion on the motion of thanks on President Address as members have sufficient opportunity to focus the attention of the House to any matter during that discussion”.
“I, therefore, disallow this notice of Adjournment motion,” the Speaker said quoting Rule 268 of the Conduct of Rules of Proceedings of Conduct of Business of the House.
He earlier explained that as per Sub Rule 6 of the Rule 70 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business of the Goa Legislative Assembly, the motion shall anticipate a matter which has been previously fixed for consideration.
“In such circumstances such motions are normally not permitted,” the Speaker said.
The Speaker also quoted ruling of his predecessor Pratapsingh Rane, who is incidentally one of the Congress legislators now, which has said that ‘it is prerogative of the chair to allow such motion.’
The Opposition benches, however, continued creating ruckus and did not allow Question Hour to function. State Town and Country Planning Minister Vijai Sardesai who had got up to answer the question could not do it because of the noise.
