Opposition boycotts BJP-led government's tea party on Budget session's eve

The Congress, NCP and other opposition parties in Maharashtra today boycotted the customary tea party organised by the BJP-led government on the eve of the Budget session of the state legislature. Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil (Congress) said the opposition boycotted the tea party to protest the government's "failure on several fronts".

Talking about the issues on which the opposition will try and corner the government, he said, "The BJP-Shiv Sena government failed miserably to attract investment during its 'Make In Maharashtra' drive held two years ago. "We want a white paper on it, and we will continue to press the demand during the session which starts tomorrow. This government continues to lie about the investment (the state has attracted) and its job creation record," Vikhe Patil said at a press conference here.

He was accompanied by Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council Dhananjay Munde (NCP) and Congress legislators Vijay Wadettiwar and Sanjay Dutt. "The BJP government has issued a GR (government resolution) allowing the appointment of retired officers on special duty. This is against existing rules and regulations, but the BJP-led government has issued the GR only to pave way for (rehabilitation of) Radheshyam Mopalwar, who was removed as the chairman and MD of Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation)," the senior Congress leader alleged.

On the fire at two rooftop pubs in central Mumbai in December which claimed 14 lives, Vikhe Patil said chief minister Devendra Fadnavis subsequently asked the municipal commissioner to head an inquiry commission on the incident, but the commissioner himself had allowed rooftop hotels to come up in the city in the first place. Munde targeted the government over the death of a farmer who consumed poison at the state secretariat to protest alleged injustice in a grant of compensation for land acquisition.

"Farmers like Dharma Patil are ending their lives, but the administration is least bothered about farmers' plight. The count-down for this government has started," Munde said. Asked what was the opposition's action plan to put more pressure on the government outside the legislature, Vikhe Patil said, "We are seriously thinking of taking the legal route. There should be some petitions in courts so that this government functions properly." The press conference was not attended by other opposition leaders such as Samajwadi Party's Abu Azmi, Dalit leader Jogendra Kawade, PWP leader Jayant Patil and AIMIM legislators.

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