TEAM HERALD
MARGAO: Government’s clearance for an ordinance to hold the ensuing Zilla Panchayat polls on party lines has come under severe flak from legal experts, political leaders and Panchayati Raj institutions.
Margao-based lawyer, Adv Cleofato Coutinho said the Cabinet decision to issue an ordinance to hold ZP polls on party lines is a fraud on the Legislative Assembly, while Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai said the move will only murder democracy at the grass root level.
Another lawyer and UGDP Vice-President, Adv Radharao Gracias, while saying that the ordinance will be nothing, but a fraud, demanded to know why the government is rushing with the ordinance when it had time of three long years to come out with a Legislation.
Adv Coutinho said the government decision will only take party level politics down to the villages and in families. “Election on party lines may serve the purpose in big states such as Maharashtra, but certainly not in a tiny State like Goa. Party politics will certainly enter the grass root village and in families,” he feared.
Adv Radharao sought to know why the government did hold a special session of the Assembly and put the issue for debate before according green signal for election on party lines. And, he pointed out that holding election of ZPs and panchayats elections may not achieve the objective of ensuring stability in panchayats if the Panchayat Act is not amended by making a provision for anti-defection. ‘Unless you have an anti-defection law to curb defections at the panchayat level, mere holding of election on party lines will not work,” he said.
Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai said the BJP government is ostensibly rushing with the ordinance as the party bosses are worried about large scale desertions from the party on account of the recent foot in the mouth syndrome by party leaders, including the innumerable U-turns and the misrule of the last three years, which has imposed a burden of Rs 13,000 crore on the people by way of loans. “The misrule and non-governance in Goa continues as all ministers are busy only with delimitation to benefit the BJP in the ZP election. This is absolute murder of democracy and the people of Goa are sure to defeat such undemocratic efforts of the BJP,” Vijai said.
Convenor of Goa Panchayati Raj institutions, and Curtorim panch member J Santano Rodrigues slammed the government for its decision to issue an ordinance on the election. “The decision to issue an ordinance to hold the election on party lines is undemocratic. We are meeting in Panjim to chalk out the future course of action,” Santano said.
