PORVORIM: The concluding day of the 15-day long monsoon session of the State Legislative Assembly came as a shocker to the ruling BJP-MGP coalition government wherein their dedicated MLA — Goa Vikas party legislator Caitan Silva — turned the cards and supported the ‘No Confidence Motion’ against the government. His party mentor and MLA Francisco Pacheco was part of the 12-member opposition team who had brought the motion.
The last day of the Assembly witnessed another bombshell when the House adopted the resolution to amend the Official Language Act 1987 to give Marathi language the official language status after thorough public consultation. This was the ultimate and most unexpected move, backed by the Government, a decision which took some of its own MLAs, including the minority ones by surprise.
After nearly four and half years that saw total 13 sessions, the oppositions — Congress and Independent MLAs — were seen united in a perfect Floor Arrangement to grill and expose the Government by introducing the No confidence motion, or staging a walk out or clubbing questions on crucial issues or creating a ruckus. A Grand Alliance on the Floor was quite evident.
The Independent MLAs, Vijai Sardesai, Rohan Khaunte and Naresh Sawal, were united since last three to four assembly sessions, after Khaunte decided not to back the Laxmikant Parsekar led government. But this time, Congress members too joined hands, trying to send a kind of signal ahead of 2017 Assembly elections.
Meanwhile, Mickky Pacheco of the GVP, who had backed the government in 2012, backed a no confidence motion against the government this time. If this was not enough, his colleague too, Silva, on the last day, voted against the government.
The government won the no trust motion against them by 25 votes against 14.
The suppression of the opposition’s voice was the common allegation levied by the opposition benches during the 15-day sessions. They spoke out against several of their crucial questions relating to its stand on casinos, the investment promotion board, the Saligao garbage treatment plant, the beach cleaning contractors, etc, being converted to unstarred from starred. For other questions, the opposition alleged that answers were no provided.
A breach of Privilege was also moved thrice. This had also forced the opposition to stage a walk-out for three times during the Question Hour.
The issues that ruled the session included the financial position of the State, scam in the Goa Co-Operative Bank, unlawful expenditure by Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation (GSIDC) on the consultants, involvement of BJP MLAs in the illegal mining scam, Deen Dayal Swasthya Seva Yojana (DDSSY), condition and facilities at Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMC), corruption cases against the Chief Secretary, SEZ land scam, beach cleaning scam, huge water bills, leasing out old building of the Sanquelim primary health centre to an institute run by BJP MLA, nationalisation of inland waterways, etc.
The ruling led by Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar tried their level best to satisfy the opposition with their replies but many a time, Minister’s found itself on the backfoot. But MLAs like Nilesh Cabral, Siddarth Kunkolienkar, Subhash Phal Dessai and Pramod Sawant, who came to their rescue by diverting the issue.
The Government succeeded in passing their ambitious bill to Regularise the Unauthorised Structures and also the Goa Succession, Special Notaries and Inventory Proceeding Bill, 2012, wherein the Government proposes to replace the age old Portuguese Civil Code on the subject of succession, inventory and Notarial Law, with the State Laws, to meet the present day requirements and to make it workable.
The crucial Goa Staff Selection Commission Bill, 2016, that seeks to form an independent body to conduct examinations and select candidates for appointments to subordinate service posts in government departments and organisations including autonomous and semi-autonomous government bodies, was referred to Select Committee.
The Economic Survey 2016 exposed that all is not well with the finance of the State. It pegged Goa’s debt at nearly Rs 11,000 crore. Also, it highlighted that the State primary sector growth in areas of agriculture and fisheries have declined sharply affecting the State Gross Domestic Product (GSDP).
If this was not enough, the Comptroller Auditor Genera (CAG), in its report 2014-15, has censored government over its unwarranted and idle investments of crores of rupees, losses to the State exchequer and unplanned development of its various heads including Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMC), public works department (PWD), and Goa State Infrastructure development (GSIDC).
