Speaker boycotts assembly for half hour on anti-media issue

Panaji, July 14 (UNI) Speaker Francisco Sardinha adjourned the Goa Legislative Assembly for half an hour today following noisy scenes with the Opposition members trouping into the well of the House and raising slogans against yesterday's ruling of the chair disallowing the electronic media from covering the proceedings beyond the question hour.

When the Speaker told the Opposition that it could not challenge his ruling, the irate Opposition members stormed into the well of the House during the zero hour and raised slogans against dictatorial attitude of the Speaker.

The issue was raised by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator Babu Azgaoncar, who had protested the Speaker's order yesterday saying it was not a good sign for democracy and that the Speaker took unilateral decision without taking the Opposition into confidence.

The Speaker restricted the coverage of the electronic media to the question hour on the observation that the media was not giving any ''fair and balanced coverage'' of the proceedings of the House for the ruling party and the Opposition, besides failing to restrain itself from reporting expunged remarks.

The print and electronic media yesterday had called on the Speaker and pleaded for revoking the decision assuring him that there would not be any violations and that the House could go ahead with the contempt proceedings against violators of the law.

UNI BM SSS SI VC2140