Budget passed in one-day Goa Assembly session

Chaos prevailed as the Leader of Opposition, Digambar Kamat, had moved an adjournment motion to keep aside business of the day to discuss the COVID-19 situation but it was not admitted by the speaker

Representative Image: The rejection of the adjournment motion by Speaker Rajesh Patnekar brought opposition MLAs to the well of the House.

The State budget was passed in the Goa Assembly on Monday amid noisy scenes after an adjournment motion brought by the opposition was not admitted by the speaker.

Leader of Opposition Digambar Kamat had moved the adjournment motion to keep aside business of the day to discuss the COVID-19 situation, the rejection of which by Speaker Rajesh Patnekar brought opposition MLAs to the well of the House.

Even as Goa Forward Party, Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, Congress MLAs and an Independent legislator continued to demand that the adjournment motion be allowed, the ₹21,056 crore budget, tabled during the last session on February 6, was passed in the Assembly.

Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said a discussion on the COVID-19 pandemic can be taken up after business of the day was completed.

He said the budget tabled in the House was an estimated one, and it had to be passed considering the requirements to tackle the coronavirus outbreak.

The CM said he was optimistic the economic situation would the normalise in the days to come.

The House then passed several other bills by voice vote.

Later, opposition MLAs met Governor Satya Pal Malik and asked him not to give assent to the business transacted on the floor of the House during the one-day session.

Mr. Kamat, GFP chief Vijai Sardesai, MGP MLA Sudin Dhavalikar and Independent MLA Rohan Khaunte submitted a memorandum to the governor which termed the passing of the budget as “murder of democracy.”

“We request your immediate intervention on above issues and urge you not to give your assent to the business transacted in the Goa Legislative Assembly today” stated the memorandum.

We also demand that a full-fledged Assembly session may be convened to discuss issues of prime importance such as COVID pandemic, financial status of the state, economic revival plan and environment, it further stated.

The opposition MLAs said the state government passed eighty six demands, eleven bills, including Goa Appropriation Bill, and supplementary demands for grants for the year 2020- 21 in record time in a day without any discussion.