Digital Goa, 8 July – Opposition MLAs walked out of the Business Advisory Council meeting today, accusing the government of denying them a fair chance to speak and raise people’s issues during the oncoming assembly session, starting July 21. Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao called it a “mockery and murder of democracy,” while Goa Forward’s Vijai Sardesai termed it an “undeclared emergency,” alleging that Question Hour has been ‘hijacked’ and turned into “Ruling Hour.” The Opposition claimed all Question Hour questions drawn through lots were allotted to ruling party MLAs. Their demand to alternate questions between opposition and ruling benches, raise the limit of unstarred questions from 15 to 25, and allot two Calling Attentions to the Opposition were not considered, they further alleged.

CM distances himself from BAC row, asks media to question Speaker
Digital Goa, 8 July – When questioned by the media about the Opposition’s walkout from the BAC meeting, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said that the meeting is chaired by the Speaker and conducted as per the rule book. “You should question the Speaker,” he told media persons.

Speaker says alternate questions system discontinued as ruling benches raised objection
Digital Goa, 8 July – When queried, the Speaker said that questions are allotted through a lottery system. He added that the practice of alternating questions between the opposition and ruling benches was followed only once during the last Assembly session. However, as the ruling benches objected to the practice, it was discontinued this time.

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