the goan I network
PANAJI
Governor Mridula Sinha on Tuesday opened the proceedings of the 3-day Budget session of the Goa Legislative Assembly but faced the ignominy of a boycott of her address by the main Opposition party -- the Congress -- whose MLAs walked out to “protest” the bias in her conduct in the gubernatorial office.
Even as Sinha began her address, the main Opposition party, the Congress, staged the walkout led by Opposition Leader Chandrakant Kavlekar. Kavlekar said his party MLAs, who were already sporting black arm-bands, were walking out to protest against Sinha’s failure to act on at least four of their petitions sent to her at Raj Bhavan.
These petitions had sought the dismissal of the Manohar Parrikar-led Bharatiya Janata Party coalition government in view of the Chief Minister’s prolonged absence from office due to his battle with pancreatic cancer since February last year.
“We are walking out in protest,” the Opposition Leader said just as Sinha commenced reading out her formal address to the House after the National Anthem. Both Kavlekar and Faleiro also questioned the short duration of the budget session and termed it a “murder of democracy” for depriving the Opposition MLAs an opportunity to raise issues concerning the people.
Later, flanked by senior Congress leader Luizinho Faleiro, the Opposition Leader told the media that Sinha had been biased as Governor.
“At the outset, as the single largest party, we should have been called to form the government and prove majority. After that, when the administration had come to a standstill, we met her on six occasions and sought dismissal of the BJP-led government because it was useless,” Kavlekar said.
