Tired governor shortens address to the House

Reads only 13 pages of 46 page speech; Copies of her speech were tabled on the floor of the House

Published on:

12 Jan 2016, 12:19 am

Team Herald

PANJIM: Goa Governor Dr Mridula Sinha shortened her address to the House on day one of the winter session of the Goa Legislative Assembly as she reportedly felt tired.

“Kindly consider para 26 to 91 as read,” she said leaving her speech halfway as she managed to read only 13 pages of the 46 page-speech.

“I hope the Honourable members will take active part and have valuable and fruitful deliberations during this Assembly session, thus fulfilling the aspirations of the people of Goa. Jai Hind, Jai Goa,” she said reading the last paragraph of the speech copy.

This was followed by the National Anthem and she was later escorted out of the House to her official car by Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar, Leader of Opposition Pratapsingh Rane and other members. Copies of the speech were thereafter tabled on the floor of the House.

In March last year too, the Governor had to leave her speech incomplete after she felt uneasy on the floor of the House. She drank water but could not continue the speech and sat next to Speaker’s chair.

Burning issues left untouched

PANJIM: The eighth session of this Goa Legislative Assembly that started on Monday is expected to be stormy with the issues of Regional Plan, Medium of Instruction, Regularisation of illegal structures etc besides the controversial subject of moving out casinos likely to come up for discussion.

The Governor, however, decided to give these issues a miss when she addressed the Assembly on Monday.

The issue of Medium of Instruction is currently the main topic discussed across the State with the BBSM and FORCE at loggerheads over grants to English, but it found no mention in the

Governor’s address.

Similarly, the Governor kept the controversial issues of moving casinos out of River Mandovi, which was a pre-poll promise of the ruling BJP-led government, out of her speech.

The Governor just made a passing remark on the Regional Plan 2021, which has been kept open for suggestions and objections.

Six village panchayats in Salcete taluka have rejected the Regional Plan 2021 and it would have been appropriate for the Governor to address the issue.

“My government has taken a decision to carry out rectification in the Regional Plan 2021 by way of calling for suggestions/rectifications from the general public,” she said.

Also, the most controversial issue of DefExpo to be held in Goa in March 2016 did not find

any mention.

The government’s move to regularise illegal structures on comunidade lands has also met with strong opposition but that too has not found space in the Governor’s address.

Besides this, the agitation by mining truckers, strike by the lifeguards, Chipko protest to save coconut tree and some of the issues did not figure in the speech.