Panaji: In an embarrassing situation for state govt govt over its decision to convene a brief assembly sitting, speaker Ganesh Gaonkar on Friday said that the upcoming three-day monsoon session of the Goa legislative assembly is a “short” one.Governor P A Gajapathi Raju has summoned the eighth session of Goa legislative assembly from Aug 31 to Sep 2, drawing sharp criticism from the opposition over its duration. The session may be the last before the assembly polls.Chief minister Pramod Sawant said three days were sufficient to transact the available business.Asked whether the session was short, Gaonkar said, “When it is not long, that means…” He said that as per his opinion at least 30-day assembly sessions should be held a year so that each and every member gets time to discuss and debate on the issues.“Recently we have not had any prolonged session and as per my opinion, if there is a prolonged session, then members of the house get time for discussions,” Gaonkar said.He said that he still has not decided whether the days should be increased, but when the matter is discussed in the House and if the members agree, then the session can be extended.Leader of opposition Yuri Alemao alleged that BJP govt had curtailed the session to avoid scrutiny.“As Goa is facing elections, they are afraid and have called for such a short session. Absolute loot is taking place in the state and govt does not want to be held accountable,” Alemao said.“BJP govt has once again undermined the democratic process by summoning the assembly session for only three days. The previous session was curtailed by seven days, and now, despite our demand for a longer session, this corrupt govt has shrunk it,” Alemao said, calling it “a murder of democracy”.
