Maharashtra assembly session: Farewell session for Mahayuti, says Opposition

MVA leaders address the media ahead of the state Assembly session in Mumbai. Pic/PTI

Calling the Monsoon Legislative Session a farewell for the ruling Mahayuti, the Opposition leaders said they were prepared to corner the government over several issues in the next two weeks. As a mark of protest, the MVA leadership boycotted the customary high tea that was hosted by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on the eve of the session.

Opposition leader in the Assembly Vijay Wadettiwar and his Legislative Council counterpart Ambadas Danve addressed a joint press conference on Wednesday afternoon. They accused the Shiv Sena, BJP and NCP government of rampant corruption, failure to check law and order, apathy towards agrarian woes and lacklustre approach towards the overall economic growth of the state.

Elsewhere in the city on Wednesday, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray said that it would be a farewell session for the government. "I will be there at the session, speaking more," the ex-CM and MLC told reporters after voting in the graduate's MLC election.

Wadettiwar said, "The people of Maharashtra have needled the NDA bubble in the Lok Sabha elections. We thank the people. This will be the last session, a farewell session (for the ruling NDA)." He added that the government had failed to resolve the farm crisis and water scarcity. According to him, the farm produce prices were stagnant, whereas the cost of cultivation had gone up much higher in the past ten years. He said the Opposition has demanded a farm loan and electricity bill waiver on the basis of the Telangana pattern.

Wadettiwar alleged that the government had commission agents and brokers who had been given space in the government offices. He further alleged that a proposal to buy 2,200 public transport buses was not cleared by the CMO because some people wanted kickbacks. He also read out a rate card of commission, assuring that all these issues will be taken up during the session.

Like Wadettiwar, Danve also raised an issue of exorbitant GST on farming equipment. He reminded the government of a hit-and-run case in Pune, the irregularities in state recruitment examinations and the NEET scam in which some suspects from Maharashtra have been arrested. He said he would demand answers in the fires that had taken place in the industrial area of Dombivli. "We will expose the government in the session for stalling the state's development. This will be a bye-bye (farewell) for the Mahayuti government," he added.