The just concluded monsoon session of the Goa Legislative Assembly was the longest and arguably one of the most important. It was one in which government allocations to each department were discussed and dissected threadbare with legislators given the opportunity to speak about each department extensively. In the present situation, it was the first serious session of the government and the Opposition promised that it would ensure that it would not give a free run to what it called an illegitimate government.
However, barring the first day of the monsoon session, where the Congress had cornered the government in general, and Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar in particular, over a circular restricting government officials from summoning government servants to their homes or constituency offices to discuss the implementation of projects, the Congress has remained rather silent with occasional voices of dissent.
One can legitimately argue that it is difficult to rake up issues when the government is in its first few months of power, given that every government needs to be given time to put its plan into action. However, the party's legislators remained mute spectators while the ruling legislators led by Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar ratted out figures and deadlines with the ease of a monk reciting verses unchallenged.
It also does not explain why the Congress and its legislators displayed no fighting spirit and instead lined up, (not literally) outside the doors of the ministers holding more lucrative portfolios to get their "work done".
No doubt, the present Leader of Opposition Chandrakant Kavlekar has displayed traits that he will not allow the government to go ahead unchallenged when he reminded the chief minister of his ‘principles' involved in forming the government after the Chief Minister had just concluded preaching on ‘principles' over the medium of instruction. While he is a more vocal upgrade on his predecessor Pratapsingh Rane, who for the most part has sung a reconciliatory tune with the BJP-led government, the Congress cannot be patting itself on the back.
On issues like that of casinos, regional plan, nationalisation of rivers, others, the Opposition has allowed the government to get away too easily without a semblance of a debate. Moreover, the Congress appeared to have not done much ground work on issues, contrary to the picture that was given before the start of the session. We will have to wait and see if the Opposition manages to get its act together and give the ruling ‘a run for the money'.
