MARGAO
Just days ahead of the crucial Goa Legislative Assembly session, cracks in the Opposition camp have come to the fore. On Sunday, Goa Forward Party (GFP) chief Vijai Sardesai publicly dismissed a joint Opposition meeting convened by Leader of the Opposition Yuri Alemao, scheduled for July 15, describing it as a “mere formality.”
Sardesai criticised the timing and intent of the meeting, questioning its effectiveness and purpose. “There is an established convention that the Leader of the Opposition should convene such a meeting soon after the Assembly session is notified. This invite feels like a last-minute formality rather than a serious effort at coordination”, he said.
While the GFP leader stopped short of confirming whether he would attend the meeting, his remarks strongly indicated that he may skip the meeting. “I don’t think there is much sense in this meeting called by the Opposition. It is just a formality,” Sardesai reiterated.
He added: “This belated move to have a joint strategy meeting of the Opposition is yet another formality just to show that you are doing something, I do not know whether we will be effective in countering the murder of democracy that is being done by Goa government”.
Drawing a parallel with the recent Business Advisory Committee (BAC) meeting -- which he boycotted -- Sardesai noted that much of the procedural groundwork, including submission of questions and raising of demands, was already completed by the time the BAC was convened.
“Similarly, this joint Opposition meeting comes too late to make a real impact. It should have been held when the session was first notified so we could have coordinated strategies, submitted common questions, and prepared for raising calling attention motions,” he said.
Similarly, he said the joint Opposition meeting should have been called when the Session was notified, much before the process of asking question could begin. “We are all aware that we are outnumbered in the House by the ruling group in 33:7 ratio. Hence, the joint meeting should have been convened well in advance to discuss strategies, to put common questions and to raise calling attention motions in the event the opposition questions do not find a mention”, he said.
There’s no love lost between Alemao and Sardesai as evident by the facts that the two leaders have been frequently exchanging indirect jabs. Sunday’s remarks further deepen the rift and raise questions over whether Sardesai will attend the July 15 meeting or instead pursue an independent course of action during the session.
