PANAJI
The NDA versus INDIA narrative evolving at the national level in the buildup to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections found an echo in the proceedings of the Goa legislative Assembly on Friday.
Congress' Quepem legislator Altone D'Costa contested Chief Minister Pramod Sawant's argument that a Supreme Court verdict was an impediment against regularising the government's contractual employees by citing the example of Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) Punjab government which has regularised thousands of para teachers and other contract employees.
If as the chief minister says there is a legal bar, how is it that in Punjab the government has done it, D'Costa argued during the discussion on the resolution moved by Revolutionary Goans Party (RGP) MLA Viresh Borkar seeking regularisation of contractual employees in government departments and State-owned Corporations.
"We are now united. We are a strong Team INDIA," D'Costa said apparently self-conscious of the fact that he was praising the Punjab government of AAP, a political party with which his own Congress had not much love lost before they joined the national Opposition formation a few days ago.
D'Costa's reference to 'Team INDIA', meanwhile, had Chief Minister Pramod Sawant spring to his feet with a counter.
"You have 27 parties in INDIA no? Let us see how many remain and for how long," Sawant shot back.
"Here in Goa, your Vijai might score a goal this side," Sawant said in a taunt at Goa Forward Party's (GFP) lone MLA, Vijai Sardesai.
Understandably, Sardesai, who only recently has categorically stated that he and his GFP are "politically equidistant" from the Congress and the BJP, refrained from reacting to Sawant's taunt.
Earlier this week, 26 political parties opposed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party government at the Centre announced the formation of a new alliance and named it INDIA (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance).
The same day, Modi and the BJP organised a meet of 38 parties under the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) umbrella in what is emerging as the drawing of the battlelines for the next general Lok Sabha elections due in March-April next year.
