Revise Goa Budget, avoid assembly nod now: GFP chief Vijai Sardesai

The Goa Forward Party (GFP) has communicated to the assembly speaker that passing of the Budget without a discussion in the House would amount to "fraud on the people of Goa".

The state government has convened a day-long session of the assembly on July 27 to pass the Budget.

GFP chief Vijai Sardesai, in a letter to Speaker Rajesh Patnekar on Thursday, criticised the action of Business Advisory Committee (BAC) to schedule passing of the Budget during the day-long session.

I find it difficult to comprehend the attitude of the Chief Minister and the Government to bulldoze various important bills without any discussion and without allowing any of the elected representative to apply his or her mind to issues concerned, especially as they are linked to the future of Goa, Sardesai, an MLA, said in the letter.

The former minister alleged the BJP government appears to be denying members their right to question it on various critical issues like a response to Covid-19, the state of finances, destruction of Goa's environment and illegal land developments, among others.

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It will be a fraud on the people of Goa to pass the Budget without discussion as it has been presented in the House.

"It is very clear that due to the pandemic and its social and economic effects, both revenue and expenditure estimates of the budget will take a massive beating and approving these estimates without discussion and revision will be a meaningless exercise, the GFP leader added.

A revised Budget can be passed after a thorough discussion at the next full-fledged session sometime in November or December, the GFP leader said.

"In the meantime, the government should pass a vote-on-account (to fund short-term expenses) for four months, he suggested.