It's a curtailed Assembly session once again. The State government has opted for a short three-day session in place of a two-week one scheduled earlier. Last year, the monsoon session was curtailed from two weeks to a single day in view of the Covid-19 outbreak and the story of the Assembly session have been fairly inconsistent, thanks to the pandemic.
Ironically, last year the Leader of the Opposition Digambar Kamat along with other members had unanimously decided to cut short a session to avoid any possible spread of the virus, citing the 1,500 other legislature staff engaged at the secretariat.
Cut into the present and there is no clarity whether there will be a discussion on demands for grants. Neither is there any clarity if there would be replies to questions that have been deferred in the earlier session. Also, with private member bills lined up for the last day of the July session, there will be very limited time at the disposal of legislators to discuss crucial issues. Against the backdrop of the gaping holes in Covid management and the host of issues the State is facing, including finances, the government appears to be shying away from scrutiny.
The ruling legislators could have used this session to present before the people the achievements and the success stories. It could have brought on record how the government performed in this pandemic phase and how it has managed finances in the absence of revenue churners like mining and tourism. However, for that to happen, there needs to be a firm sense of belief in what is being achieved, and the fortitude to face situations. The confidence of facing the Opposition appears to be lacking.
Time and again the Covid scenario has been used to curtail sessions, much against the backdrop of periodic 'unlocks' announced across the State. If there is a full-fledged hearing of the draft Coastal Zone Management Plan which involves thousands of people from across Goa, we don't understand the reasoning behind the government's decision to curtail the voices of people's representatives in the Assembly session.
The curtailment of assembly session is not just a strategy of the BJP-led government alone. Successive governments in power, including the Congress in Goa, have effectively used it when the odds are favouring the Opposition. Manohar Parrikar during his tenure as the Leader of Opposition had slammed the Congress government for restricting sessions, in some cases even to two days. Also, a major part of Parrikar's tenure of 2017 as CM saw House sessions been drastically curtailed owing to his health issues.
The government of the day has to stand up to their legislative responsibilities and prioritize them in the true spirit of democracy. Accountability and scrutiny are part and parcel of any democratic setup. The role of the Legislative Assembly is significant, especially because policy issues having a direct impact on citizens are discussed and considered. The subtle stratagems of circumventing scrutiny will not only further break people's trust in the system but will also shake the foundations of our democracy.
