MVA welcomes Maharashtra Monsoon Session with chants against 'traitor' Shinde at Vidhan Bhavan

The Opposition also lashed out at the Shinde-Fadnavis government for not providing relief to the farmers badly affected due to heavy rains

With chants of “ED sarkar hai hai” on the stairs of the Vidhan Bhavan, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) staged a protest as the state Assembly’s Monsoon Session commenced on Wednesday.

The MVA, the Opposition coalition in Maharashtra, were in protest because they wanted to know who the state’s real chief minister was; the “ED” in MVA’s sloganeering was the reference to Eknath and Devendra (the first names of chief minister Shinde and deputy chief minister Fadnavis).

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The members of legislative assembly (MLAs) and the legislative council (MLCs) of National Congress Party, Congress and Shiv Sena faction led by Uddhav Thackeray were piloted by Ajit Pawar, the Leader of opposition in the state assembly, and his state council counterpart, Ambadas Danve.

As soon as Shinde and his supporting Shiv Sena MLAs started arriving at Vidhan Bhavan, the opposition members greeted them with chants of “50 khoke, ekdum ok” (Rs 50 crore was right) and “aala re, aala re, gaddaar aala” (here comes the traitor).

The Opposition lashed out at the Shinde-Fadnavis government for not providing relief to the farmers badly affected due to heavy rains in several parts of the state.

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“This government has been formed because of betrayal…the government is illegal,” said Shiv Sena MLA and former minister Aaditya Thackeray. “Actually, we want to know who the real chief minister is,” he said, apparently referring to deputy chief minister Fadnavis holding a dozen crucial department portfolios.

“The BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) will be shown its place by the public of this country. The people were not afraid of the British who ruled in a dictatorial manner. Now in free India, BJP is trying to follow the footsteps of the British and rule in the same way, but it will not be tolerated now,” state Congress president Nana Patole said.