It appears that the State government has played the ‘April Fool's joke two days in advance. What do we make out of the decision to curtail the Goa Legislative Assembly and adjourn it till July 19 citing the code of conduct for the second phase of municipal elections which was eminent? Why did the government propose a 13-day session in the first place?
Given the Supreme Court deadline of conducting elections to the second phase by April 30, it was very obvious that the code of conduct will come into force any time soon. This being the case, insisting on an assembly session till April 16 was devious. It is amply clear that the purpose of settling for a 13-day assembly session was to ward off criticism that the government is running away from scrutiny and give it a window to pass a full-fledged budget instead of the vote-on-account which the Opposition was pressing for. The government used the budget to take poll-position and the mission has been accomplished.
The situation has been milked by ministers with several calling time on crucial questions. On Tuesday, the Industries Minister in an unprecedented move sought postponement of discussion on a written reply on the allocation of a coal block. Ironically, the Speaker has allowed it citing "public interest", and that’s another story. Last week, the CM had asked Pratapsingh Rane for over a week on one of his questions. Ministers have deferred answering and took advantage of the election code which was on the horizon.
Another concern of the House was the rise in Covid cases. Since Panaji MLA Atanasio Monseratte threw a scare after he tested positive last week, the Speaker, who is the presiding officer of the House was duty-bound to verify the status of members undergoing tests and cross-check their results. Around six legislators are reported to have tested negative, but there was no clarity on MLAs and Assembly staff awaiting results. Covid protocols mandate that suspects need to be under quarantine. It appears that the Covid rules have been flagrantly violated as the Speaker went ahead with the business of the House.
On another aspect, there was a further twist to the Section 144 saga. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant disclosed that restrictions are not applicable for religious functions and activities held within private properties, but are only applicable to public roads and other public places. It appears that laws are been modified to suit the government’s interests rather than securing public health. If the aim is to insulate tourists and private parties, why impose these sections at all? Can the Collectors of North and South, who issued the notification on March 27 and ushered in chaos and confusion, issue a rejoinder now and explain what is exempted?
The curtailed Assembly session has ended much before it could take off after the budget presentation. Rules of the House have been bent and the Speaker has allowed pandemonium and personal chatter to rein inside the Assembly. A lack of the Speaker’s control on the proceedings was visible. And the Covid mismanagement continues to show. It appears that everyone is taken for a jolly good ride, including the media.
