MAPUSA/PANAJI
The opposition minus Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai on Friday disrupted the Assembly proceedings at least thrice in the first half and even entered the well of the House protesting against the decision for not listing the discussion on Manipur violence in the business of the House for the day.
The Opposition comprising “ Congress MLAs Yuri Alemao and Altone D’Costa, AAP MLAs Venzy Viegas and Cruz Silva and Revolutionary Goans Party MLA Viresh Borkar “ raised the issue at the beginning of the Question Hour, Zero Hour and soon after the end of Calling Attention.
Congress MLA Carlos Ferreira had sought leave from the House while Goa Forward MLA Vijai Sardesai did not participate in the protest.
The MLAs who rushed to the well of the House were told by Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar that he had decided to reject the discussion.
“It’s a very sensitive issue. The Centre and the Union Home Ministry are seized of the matter and are taking the necessary steps concerning the problem. I have disallowed the discussion,” Tawadkar said while giving his ruling.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant also in a statement said that since the Supreme Court was seized of the matter, there was no need to discuss the House.
All the five opposition MLAs were wearing black clothes as a sign of protest.
Surprisingly, the Fatorda MLA who had vigorously supported the demand for a discussion on the Manipur issue kept a distance from Friday’s protest.
Oppn minus Vijai walks out
Later, the combined Opposition walked out of the legislative assembly Friday afternoon protesting against the decision of Speaker Ramesh Tawardkar to disallow a resolution on the Manipur violence.
Goa Forward Party's (GFP) lone MLA Vijai Sardesai did not join the Opposition in its protest against the Speaker's decision to disallow the discussion and Congress MLA Carlos Alvares-Ferreira was not present in the House and is said to be out of station.
Despite the Speaker's ruling in which he said since the Home department has taken steps in Manipur, he is disallowing the resolution, the five Opposition members continued to press for their demand to allow a discussion on the issue and even trouped to the well of the House.
With Tawardkar not budging from his position, Alemao and the four others walked out and boycotted the rest of the day's session.
They later held a sit-in protest in the precincts of the Assembly complex near the Ashoka Pillar.
Earlier this week on Monday, Tawardkar had taken the harsh decision of suspending for 48 hours all seven legislators, including Sardesai, when they stormed to the well of the House disrupting Question Hour with the same demand of a discussion on the Manipur violence.
He later curtailed the suspension to just 24 hours but when they returned to the House, the Opposition legislators on Tuesday again raised a ruckus demanding the Manipur discussion.
It was then that Tawadkar had advised the Opposition MLAs to move a resolution on private members day on Friday and when they did so, he disallowed it giving a formal ruling.
Alemao objected to the Speaker's decision saying: "Do we want to repeat this in Goa? It looks like this, the government is not serious. We want a discussion on this (Manipur) issue.”
But Tawardkar did not budge and moved on with the Private Member's business listed for the day.
All these five Opposition MLAs stayed away from the House for the rest of the day, forfeiting the business listed against their names, including Borkar's private member's resolution pertaining to mega projects in villages and haphazard urbanisation.
