The State government opened up its portal for public suggestions and feedback on the controversial Goa Bhumiputra Adhikarini Bill, 2021, likely to be now renamed as Bhumi Adhikarini Bill in keeping with Chief Minister Pramod Sawant's assurance late Tuesday evening. There appears to be some reconciliation on the concerns raised by citizens and the media with Sawant indicating that the Bill could be re-tabled in the next Assembly session after incorporating relevant changes. The question now is, why is this hurry when the BJP government is in the last lap of its current tenure.
The paradigm shift in stance comes as a major surprise because the CM and ministers in his cabinet had rooted very strongly for the Bill. Sawant, till yesterday evening, has consistently opined that this Bill is meant to provide housing for Goans who are displaced and denied a dignified life. He also stated that the opposition to the Bill is the handiwork of a few disgruntled elements which have been critical of government's every move.
Now that the government has changed its mind on the Bill, why is it still pushing for it in a modified form, knowing well that time is running out? Even if the government is to hold its next 'truncated' Assembly session in October-November, it gives very little time for implementation because of the model code of conduct for elections which will come into force. What stops the chief minister from scrapping the Bill, and leave it to the new government, post the Assembly election, to take a call on this vexed issue? The motive of the legislation appears very suspicious given the nature of the Bill and the sheer timing of passing it.
The growing resentment and the fury among various sections of people may have prompted Sawant to do a quick rethink, and from the perspective of elections, that could be a sensible move. A gamble of fighting the tide could prove to be very risky and even backfire at this stage. However, by trying to revive the Bill in a different avatar after scrutinizing suggestions from people, Sawant is only running the risk of allowing the ghost of the earlier Bill to haunt again. The damage-control initiative undertaken could not only be a wasted exercise but can even invite further wrath on his government.
Instead of trying to wade into choppy waters, the need of the hour was to bow down to public sentiment by summarily scrapping the Bill. With the riders announced, Sawant has only kept the issue alive. The government's thinking may be for the good of displaced Goans, but the construction of the legislation has loopholes that can have catastrophic consequences on the State and its people. Leave aside the legal implications, there are provisions in the Bill that need a wider consensus, and it cannot be bulldozed at the free will of any government. It remains to be seen how the government processes the feedback it receives on the Bill.
