Goa oppn claims govt stifling voice, threatens to boycott assembly session

Panaji: Goa Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Yuri Alemao on Monday said that the BJP government is stifling the voice of opposition and threatened to boycott the upcoming legislative assembly session if the convention of allowing one question from ruling and another from opposition is not followed.

Goa legislative assembly will have six sittings, starting from February 2 to 9.

During a presser, after a meeting of opposition parties legislators, Alemao said that there are chances that mixed questions will be taken by the legislature department.

“BJP government is rattled to face opposition. It is trying to silence the voice of opposition. We will boycott the coming assembly if the tradition of ‘dadagiri’ and dictatorship continues. It is not in the interest of democracy,” Alemao said.

He said that the opposition will boycott the assembly session if the convention of allowing one question from ruling and another from opposition each is not followed.

“I have come to know from sources that it will take mixed questions (from ruling and opposition). It will be injustice to the opposition if old practice is stopped,” he said.

He said that the ruling MLAs have outnumbered the opposition and hence they will not get an opportunity to raise voice if present convention is stopped.

He said that they discussed failure of disaster management, Mhadei issue, unemployment, inflation, skyrocketed prices of LPG, bankruptcy of the state, unwanted projects, issue of Sanjivani Sugar Factory-which is closed by government, rising crimes and murders.

With three MLAs of Congress, the opposition also consists of two MLAs of AAP, and one each MLA of Goa Forward Party and Revolutionary Goans Party. All of them were present at Monday’s meeting.

There are seven opposition MLAs in the 40 members legislative assembly house.