Goa assembly adjourned twice as ruling MLAs seek breach of privilege motion for statement on Speaker

Panaji, Jul 15 (PTI) The Goa assembly was adjourned twice on Monday after a BJP MLA moved a breach of privilege motion against a Congress legislator over the latter’s statement about the Speaker.

A commotion started on the floor of the House before the Question Hour when the monsoon session began.

BJP MLA Daji Krishna Salkar moved a breach of privilege motion against Congress’s Altone D’Costa for making statements against Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar.

D’Costa had on Friday told reporters that the Speaker had rejected his resolution demanding political reservation for the Scheduled Tribes community in the assembly.

Salkar on Monday moved the motion, after which Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao questioned how the statement amounted to a breach of privilege.

He said, “Nothing stops us from moving a resolution. How is it a breach of privilege?”

Chief Minister Pramod Sawant claimed D’Costa’s statement to the media was an insult to the Speaker, and he must tender an apology.

When commotion prevailed, Tawadkar initially adjourned the House for half an hour.

When the session resumed, the ruling benches reiterated their demand for a breach of privilege motion and the House was again adjourned for half an hour.

Talking to reporters, Goa Forward Party MLA Vijai Sardesai said the disruption of the House by the ruling benches was a systematic move to avoid the Question Hour.

Sardesai said that he and Congress MLA Carlos Ferreira had tabled a question on the National Education Policy (NEP) that would have exposed the state government.

“The government tried to avoid the question hour by disrupting the House,” he said.