Panaji, July 8: A stormy session is brewing ahead of the upcoming monsoon session of the Goa Legislative Assembly as opposition MLAs staged a dramatic walkout from the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) meeting held on Tuesday. The opposition leaders accused the BJP-led government of systematically stifling their voices, calling the developments a “murder of democracy” and a move towards “dictatorship”.
The walkout was led by Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao, Goa Forward Party’s Vijai Sardesai, Aam Aadmi Party’s Venzy Viegas, and Goa Revolutionary Party’s Viresh Borkar. The MLAs stormed out mid-way through the BAC meeting, which was convened to chalk out the legislative agenda for the 15-day monsoon session starting July 21.
“The government has made a mockery of democratic norms,” Alemao said after walking out. “Only 20 minutes per party have been allotted to discuss the critical Demand for Grants. We are not even being allowed to ask questions — not even unstarred ones. If opposition voices are being crushed, why even hold a session?”
Alemao further alleged that the government was curtailing legislative proceedings to avoid scrutiny over rising corruption, law and order issues, and administrative failures. “This is a dark day for Goan democracy,” he said.
Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar, however, refuted the allegations, stating that the opposition members left only after discussions concluded. “Every decision is taken with the intent of ensuring that the Assembly session concludes by 8:30 p.m. daily,” he clarified.
Echoing Alemao’s concerns, GFP MLA Vijai Sardesai accused the government of ignoring real public issues raised during his recent statewide outreach. “They don’t want us to speak because they don’t want the people’s issues to be heard,” Sardesai said. “Even unstarred questions are being blocked. This is a complete subversion of democratic processes.”
GRP’s Viresh Borkar was more direct, calling the situation “complete dictatorship.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant declined to comment on the controversy, stating that decisions on Assembly procedure fall under the Speaker’s jurisdiction.
