Maharashtra budget session cut short after high alert

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at the Vidhan Bhavan. Pic/Suresh Karkera

The interim budget session of the Maharashtra Government was curtailed by two days considering the high-security alert sounded in the state which will need police personnel on the streets instead of keeping them engaged in the protection of politicians.

The opposition agreed with CM Devendra Fadanvis' suggestion of ending the business of both houses on Thursday but also questioned why 6,000 police personnel were needed to ensure the safety of lawmakers gathered in Mumbai.

The CM met the leaders of all parties on Thursday to seek their approval for ending the session because of the prevailing tension on the Indo-Pak border. The top police officers briefed the CM that they needed more force in the field to keep watch on vital installations, public places and maintain overall law and order in view of Pakistan-sponsored proxy war that the city has been a target of in the past.

"Internal security is paramount for us. Mumbai is the financial capital of the country," said Fadnavis. The force deputed here will be released immediately and posted elsewhere, he said, adding, "There was no need to panic." Opposition leader in the Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil said that the opposition would support the government.

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