NT NETWORK
PANAJI
Speaker of the Goa legislative assembly Dr Pramod Sawant has directed the records unit of the legislature department to furnish all the resolutions related to the demands of the MLAs as regards construction of statues in the state assembly complex, which had been tabled in the House in the past.
Coming out with this information, the Speaker said that he would use these resolutions for reference purpose while studying the five Private Members Resolutions that have been submitted to his office until now and which demand erection of statues of various leaders in the precincts of the assembly.
“I will decide as to whether to admit these resolutions or not as per the rules of the House, as well as other various criteria,” he added, pointing out that after due scrutiny, the Private Members Resolutions need to be selected, and further, these selected resolutions are required to be admitted by following the lots system.
Dr Sawant also stated that the recent resolution of the Bharatiya Janata Party as regards the party not supporting erection of any more statues in the state assembly precincts is not binding on him as long as he is in the assembly complex. “I am member of the party outside the assembly complex; here I am impartial Speaker, who goes by the rule book,” he noted.
It was also informed that till now, altogether five Private Member Resolutions have been submitted to the legislature department including one signed by all 16 Congress MLAs and demanding the erection of the statue of Jack de Sequeira.
The others include one from Nationalist Congress Party legislator Churchill Alemao about Sequeira’s statue in the assembly complex; one each by the BJP MLAs namely Michael Lobo and Rajesh Patnekar demanding statues of Sequeira and Chhatrapati Shivaji, respectively; and one by Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party legislator Deepak Pauskar demanding statues of Ram Manohar Lohia and T B Cunha in the precincts of the assembly.