Panaji, Feb 16: Setting to rest speculations and opposition concern, Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar today ruled out early dissolution of the assembly. ''I have not even through of terminating the house. I have no intention of curtailing the life of the current assembly,'' he told the agitated Congress opposition in the assembly, which met for a five-day session.

The short session was to facilitate presentation of a vote-on-account and passing of nine bills before preparing for the coming parliamentary elections, said Parrikar, who is heading a BJP-led government since 2002.
Dismissing deputy leader Dayanand Narvekar's arguement that the opposition was not given adequate time for discussing the vote-on-account or even the bills, he said most of the nine bills introduced were of technical nature seeking correction in earlier ones.
He expressed readiness to take up discussion on bills like the Goa education development corporation bill after the Lok Sabha polls if the opposition so desired.
The House later rejected the amendment motion of Narvekar seeking extension of the current session till March end. This followed introduction of the nine bills besides presentation of supplementary demands for grants to the tune of Rs 365.48 crore for 2003-04 by the Chief Minister.

Earlier, Narvekar complained that commencement of the address by Governor Kidar Nath Sahani five minutes before the scheduled time of 2:30 pm in the House had set a bad precedent.

The governor should have waited till the scheduled time, the Congress leader said.

Bureau Report