Oppn slams Goa govt for short assembly session in Feb

Panaji, Jan 2 (PTI) A two-day session of the Goa assembly will be held on February 6 and 7, an official from the state's legislature department said on Thursday.

However, the opposition said the session was too short and alleged it was a "mockery of democracy" and a "cowardly escape act" by the state government "reeling under public loot and wrongdoings".

"Goa Governor P S Sreedharan Pillai has summoned the assembly on February 6-7. On the first day, the governor will address the House," the state legislature department official said.

Hitting out, Leader of Opposition and Congress leader Yuri Alemao said, "Summoning the assembly session for two days is not only a mockery of democracy, but it is a clear indication that the BJP government is afraid to face pressing issues." The "incapacitated" BJP government is trying to undermine democratic principles and curtail rights of the opposition, Alemao alleged.

The first official act of the Pramod Sawant government in the new year is to "kill" the democratic voice, Goa Forward Party chief Vijai Sardesai said.

By holding the assembly for just two days, which is effectively one day due to the governor's address, the Sawant government has killed democracy, he added.

"Reeling under a mountain of unprecedented public loot and unforgivable wrongdoings, including land grab and jobs-for-cash scams, the state government has publicly admitted its guilt by strangling the voice of the people's opposition in the assembly," Sardesai claimed.

"This cowardly escape act not only points to the culpability of the ruling party MLAs, but also exposes the dirty tricks that Goans must expect from the BJP government in the new year," the GFP chief added. PTI RPS BNM