Goa Cong boycotts Constitution Day function

Goa Congress MLAs on Tuesday boycotted a function in the state Assembly to commemorate Constitution Day.

The government is celebrating November 26 as the Constitution Day asit was on this day in 1949 that the Constitution was adopted, and, thereafter, came into force on January 26, 1950, marking the beginning of India as a republic.

Earlier in the day, the Congress, along with several other parties, boycotted Constitution Day celebrations in the Central Hall of Parliament and held a joint protest in front of the Ambedkar statue inside Parliament complex.

In a press statement here, the Leader of Opposition Digambar Kamat said he and party MLAs Pratapsingh Rane, Luizinho Faleiro, Ravi Naik and Alexio Reginald Lourenco did not attend the function in the Goa Assembly.

"The present government has completely violated the basic principles of the Constitution of India by taking away the independence of various institutions and law enforcing agencies," Kamat said.

He alleged people's mandate was set aside by BJP to form governments in states like Goa, Meghalaya, Karnataka and now Maharashtra.

The Goa function was attended by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, Speaker Rajesh Patnekar and Deputy Chief Minister Chandrakant Kavlekar apart from BJP MLAs.