Oppn forgot session is being held in Nagpur, didn't mention issues of Vidarbha: Devendra Fadnavis

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. File Pic

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday rebutted the Opposition's reasons for not attending the customary tea party organised by the state government on the eve of the winter session of the state legislature, and said it did not raise any issue related to the Vidarbha and Marathwada regions, reported news agency PTI.

The session is set to start in Nagpur, Maharashtra's second capital, from Thursday, reported PTI.

The Opposition forgot that the issues of Vidarbha and Marathwada are discussed prominently during the winter session, but there was no mention of issues of these regions in the letter sent by Leader of Opposition in the assembly Vijay Wadettiwar and others declining the tea-party invitation, Devendra Fadnavis said, reported PTI.

The letter spoke about rising debt of the state, but the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) of Maharashtra was Rs 16 lakh crore in 2013-14 and today it stands at Rs 35 lakh crore, he noted, reported PTI.

No other state has as balanced an economy as Maharashtra, said Devendra Fadnavis, reported PTI.

He also questioned the figures from the National Crimes Records Bureau (NCRB) report cited by Wadettiwar while expressing concern about the rise in crime in the state, reported PTI.

Maharashtra is in the 8th position in crime rate whereas the Congress leader claimed it was in the second place, Fadnavis said, reported PTI.

The state is in the 17th position in terms of murder cases and seventh position in crime against women, he said, reported PTI.

The state is in the 12th position in terms of rape cases and 7th in kidnapping cases, the home minister said, adding that the Opposition should learn how to read an NCRB report, reported PTI.

As to the objection about the short duration of the winter session in Nagpur, Fadnavis said when the Maha Vikas Aghadi government was in power, the session was first delayed citing the COVID-19 pandemic and no session was held in Nagpur. Now the same people are questioning the duration of this session, he said, reported PTI.

The Opposition can raise as many issues concerning the people of Maharashtra as it can and the government will give them ample time during the session, the deputy CM said.

(With inputs from PTI)