Budget passed in one-day Goa Assembly session

Panaji: 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, MaharashtrawadiGomantak Party, Congress MLAs and an Independent legislator continued to demand that the adjournment motion be allowed, the Rs 21,056 crore budget, tabled during the last session on February 6, was passed in the Assembly.

Chief Minister PramodSawant 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.

Kamat, GFP chief VijaiSardesai, MGP MLA SudinDhavalikar and Independent MLA Rohan Khaunte submitted a memorandum to the governor which termed the passing of the budget as "murder of democracy".