Maharashtra Assembly winter session: Opposition parties boycott customary tea party

Maharashtra Opposition leaders during a press conference on Wednesday. Pic/Vijay Wadettiwar/X

The Opposition parties on Wednesday boycotted the customary tea party on the eve of the commencement of the Maharashtra Assembly winter session in Nagpur alleging that the government has failed to tackle the agrarian distress, riots, and drug crime, reported the PTI.

According to the PTI, while speaking to the reporters in Nagpur, the Leader of the Opposition in the Maharashtra assembly, Vijay Wadettiwar, cited the latest crime bureau data to target the government.

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"We received the invitation of the state government for the tea party but we feel it would be highly inappropriate to attend it. We have decided to boycott the event," the Congress leader said, as per the PTI.

As per the convention, the winter session of the state legislature is held in Nagpur, the second capital of Maharashtra, every year.

Referring to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, Wadettiwar claimed 22,746 farmers have committed suicide in Maharashtra because of agrarian distress and indebtedness.

"The government has failed to address the agrarian distress in Maharashtra. There is no check on the rampant drug supply in the state. The NCRB figures also indicate that 8,218 cases of rioting were reported in the state (in 2022). In such a scenario, will fresh investment come to our state?" he questioned, according to the PTI.

The Congress leader further alleged that the state government has not even paid Rs 50,000 financial assistance to every farmer who suffered crop loss last year.

"The way this government announced drought in 40 tehsils; raises suspicion that the move is politically motivated. These tehsils are seemingly selected considering certain politicians," he added.

Earlier in the day, opposition parties held a meeting in Nagpur to discuss the agenda for the winter session, likely to be dominated by issues such as the Maratha reservation demand and crop loss among others, in the next ten days.

This meeting was attended by former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan and Wadettiwar (both Congress), opposition leader in the Legislative Council Ambadas Danve (Shiv Sena-UBT), and NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) leaders Jayant Patil and Anil Deshmukh.

Other leaders of Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) including Aaditya Thackeray, state Congress president Nana Patole, Congress legislative party leader Balasaheb Thorat, and ex-CM Ashok Chavan, however, were not present at the meeting.

When asked about some key leaders of MVA not attending the meeting, a senior MLA said, "The government's decision to hold the session from Thursday instead of December 11 (Monday) seems very odd considering that only two working days are available this week. Several MLAs are likely to attend the session from Monday onwards".

(with PTI inputs)