Panaji, Jan 30 (IANS): The opposition in Goa tried to play "extra smart" during the recently concluded winter session of the state legislative assembly, state Bharatiya Janata Party president Sadanand Shet Tanavade said on Saturday, while lauding Chief Minister Pramod Sawant for handling the collective charge from opposition benches.

Tanavade's criticism of the opposition comes a day after the conclusion of the five-day assembly session during which the opposition tried to heckle the Chief Minister Pramod Sawant-led government over popular issues related to coal pollution, environment degradation and corruption.

"The government has handled it well, despite the opposition trying to be extra smart, when they got an opportunity. Fair criticism is alright, but they rake the same issues over and over again to get publicity. As opposition, they perhaps have to do it," Tanavade said.

The treasury benches with 28 MLAs -- including 27 from the BJP -- in a 40-member House managed to tide over the opposition barrage of criticism, but not before the party faced criticism from its own MLAs, especially Catholic legislators like former environment Minister Alina Saldanha, Wilfred D'Sa and Clafiasio Dias over projects which they claimed would facilitate coal transportation through Goa.

The biggest showdown during the legislative debates occurred during a private members' resolution moved by an opposition MLA opposing three government-backed projects -- road and rail expansion and a power line initiative, which Opposition MLAs claimed would transform Goa into a coal corridor for transportation of coal from the Mormugao Port in the state to steel mills in Karnataka's Bellary area.