Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: AAP Goa President Valmiki Naik emerged as the most combative voice in the opposition delegation that met Governor Pusapati Ashok Gajapathi Raju on Thursday, demanding a Special Session of the Goa Legislative Assembly to scrap Section 39(A) of the TCP Act.
Positioning the issue as both a moral and political test for the BJP government, Naik warned that any delay in debating the provision on the floor of the House would have serious electoral consequences.
Naik highlighted the deteriorating health of St Andre MLA Viresh Borkar, stating that the Assembly session scheduled for March 6 may be too late. He insisted that Section 39(A) must be taken up for immediate discussion through a special sitting.
“The Chief Minister says it will be discussed in the right forum. The right forum is the Assembly — and it must be convened now,” Naik said, calling for urgency rather than procedural delays.
Naik also cautioned the government against taking action against protestors. He warned that if even one agitator is jailed, it would trigger mass mobilisation across Goa.
“In 2027, the people will respond politically,” he said, asserting that a new government would review and withdraw cases filed against what he termed “innocent protestors.”
By framing the issue as a question of democratic accountability and electoral consequences, Naik signalled that the fight over Section 39(A) is no longer confined to street protests but is becoming a central political flashpoint ahead of the next Assembly elections.
The delegation stated that the Governor assured them he would take up the matter with the government, particularly in view of the seriousness of the ongoing agitation.
