Goa Opposition parties jointly slam controversial land regularisation bill; meet Governor

Leader of Opposition Chodankar said that the legislation was aimed at cornering the migrant vote ahead of the state assembly polls

Opposition parties in Goa on Tuesday launched a combined assault on the BJP-led coalition government in the state over the controversial Goa Bhumiputra Adhikarni Bill 2021, a legislation that aims to provide legal sanctity to illegally constructed homes built over the last 30 years.

While the Congress, Aam Aadmi Party leaders met Governor PS Sreedharan Pillai urging the latter to not grant assent to the bill, which was hurriedly passed in last week's monsoon session of the state Assembly, the Goa Forward Party also said that it opposes the legislation tooth and nail, claiming it went against the ethos and identity of the coastal state.

"Elections are round the corner and it is apparent that this is vote-bank politics. However, the State cannot allow such important legislation to be steam-rolled which will affect the entire State as a whole," a memorandum jointly signed by state Congress president Girish Chodankar and Leader of Opposition Digambar Kamat to the Governor said.

Chodankar said that the legislation was aimed at cornering the migrant vote ahead of the state assembly polls, scheduled to be held in early 2022. Chodankar also said that that the bill was bad in law and would be challenged in court. Chodankar said that the Congress would organise a protest march against the proposed legislation to Chief Minister Pramod Sawant's legislative assembly constituency of Sanquelim to highlight the issue.

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Aam Aadmi Party co-convenor Rahul Mahambre also met the Governor and expressed his party's opposition to the bill.

"This bill will wipe out the very soul of Goa. We have informed the Governor about our opposition to the proposed law," Mahambre told reporters.

The Goa Forward Party also opposed the bill, accusing the Chief Minister Pramod Sawant-led government of "bulldozing" the legislation through only for petty electoral gain.

"I don't know how persons who have been in Goa for 30 years can be called bhumiputras... People have been here before the Portuguese came to Goa. Who are they then? People who have traditionally lived here, what will they be called by the Pramod Sawant government?" working president of the opposition party Kiran Kandolkar said.