The legislators from the Opposition benches on Tuesday courted fear that, the way Jammu & Kashmir was re-organised “degrading” it from State to Union Territory, Goa, might also be merged with Maharashtra, the move which was defeated by the people through Opinion Poll in 1967.
Congress legislators Luizinho Faleiro, Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco and NCP legislator Churchill Alemao, raised the fear that the way Central government is dictating terms, after Jammu & Kashmir, they might even think of merging Goa with Maharashtra.  While Alemao congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for the bold decision to scrap Article 370, Congress termed the move as “assault on the federal structure of the country”.
Speaker Rajesh Patnekar, however, said the Opinion Poll issue is over for Goa and the people have taken the decision long back and hence there is no going back on it. 
The Opposition was also countered by Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant and Transport Minister and BJP MLA Mauvin Godinho who urged his fellow colleagues not to create fear and panic in the minds of the people of Goa by relating Jammu &Kashmir issue with Goa's Opinion Poll. 
 
“Goa became State over 30 years back, and I assure on the floor of the House that our State will continue to enjoy that status,” Sawant said. 
 
The members were speaking during a motion moved by BJP MLA Dayanand Sopte to congratulate Prime Minister, Union Home Minister and the Central government for the historic decision on reorganisation of Jammu & Kashmir and repealing of Article 370.
Alemao was the first one to raise apprehensions with regards to Goa’s merger with Maharashtra. In a direct attack on MGP legislator Ramakrishna ‘Sudin’ Dhavalikar, Alemao said that “leaders like him are most happy as they must be now dreaming that if Modi government can scrap Special Status given to Jammu & Kashmir, 65 years back, then the Goa’s merger issue can be also looked into”.
“Goa’s first Chief Minister Bahusaheb Bandodkar did many good things. But one wrong thing he did was he wanted to merge Goa with Maharashtra. It was due to the people’s Opinion Poll that the move was thrown out and Goa remained separate State. But now Dhavalikar must be dreaming to revive this issue. But I would request Chief Minister, not let this to happen,” he said.
His apprehension got support from Congress legislator Lourenco who said the manner of terror hurry the Central government has imposed reorganisation of a State, what will Goa do if in same haste, merger is imposed on us? "It is a fear that has aroused now. Tomorrow we, Congress leaders in Goa will be put to house arrest," he said. 
 
Lourenco also said the move of Central government to scrap special status has made it clear that Goa will never get special status as promised by the BJP-led government in the State. 
Former chief minister and Congress MLA Faleiro too said that if Central government can re-organise a full-fledged State into two Union Territories, then Goa will also reel under danger. "We cannot ignore this fact," he said.