PANAJI
Accusing the government of shying away from accountability by holding short sessions of the legislative assembly, the Opposition is seriously mulling boycotting the two-day winter session slated to be held on February 6 and 7.
Boycotting the two-day session was an option hotly debated but left inconclusive at the strategy meeting held on Friday in the chamber of Leader of the Opposition Yuri Alemao.
Although Alemao while briefing the media about the deliberations did not say a word about the discussions on boycotting the session as a mark of protest against the government curtailing sitting time, Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) Benaulim MLA Venzy Viegas and Goa Forward Party's (GFP) Vijai Sardesai told journalists that the boycott option was hotly debated at the strategy meeting.
"I am personally of the view that we should boycott. It is detrimental to democracy what the Pramod Sawant government is doing (holding short sessions)," Sardesai said while speaking to the media after Friday's meeting.
Viegas who separately spoke to the media about the meeting, also said that boycotting the session was discussed and a final decision will be taken after more deliberations in the next few days.
"The winter session is of just two days. The first day will have only the governor's address and no other business. How are we supposed to raise issues and seek accountability from the government over the functioning of so many departments in just a single day?," Viegas questioned.
Apart from Alemao, Viegas and Sardesai, Congress' Carlos Alvares-Ferreira and Altone D'Costa were part of the deliberations.
AAP's Velim MLA Cruz Silva is in Delhi participating in his party's election campaign there and could not attend.
The seventh Opposition legislator, Revolutionary Goans Party's (RGP) Viresh Borkar was not present and his party has announced they will not be part of the united Opposition accusing the other parties of having hidden equations with the ruling party.
Meanwhile sensing the mood of the Opposition during the deliberations in the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) meeting also held on Friday, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant sought to assure that additional days of sittings will be accommodated during the budget session to be held in March.
Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar told the media that Sawant gave the assurance during the BAC meeting that the budget session will be a long one.
Meanwhile, a total of 50 starred questions and 191 unstarred questions received from members have been admitted by Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar. The Legislature Department has also received private member resolutions and bills but a decision on them is pending.
Tawadkar said three or four private members' resolutions will be taken up at the most.
