JOIN USMLAs’ 'misdeeds', ‘Vande Mataram’ greeting to make Maharashtra Monsoon Session stormy
Maharashtra state assembly’s brief Monsoon Session, that begins today, is set to be stormy with the Maha Vikas Aghadi in Opposition having several issues to discuss at hand, which could make it difficult for the Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis government in the assembly floor.
The Leader of Opposition in the assembly Ajit Pawar and his state council counterpart Ambadas Danve met with opposition parties including the allied Nationalist Congress Party, Indian National Congress and the Uddhav Thackeray faction of Shiv Sena. It was decided at the meeting that the opposition would collectively boycott the customary tea, hosted by the chief minister, on the eve of legislature sessions.
The Monsoon Session, which will run August 17–25, will also overlap the August 22 Supreme Court hearing about a bunch of petitions including that of disqualification of the rebelling Shiv Sena MLAs.
Meanwhile, the Shinde-Fadnavis government came under fire over the actions of two of their camp’s Shiv Sena MLAs—Prakash Surve from Mumbai’s Magathane, and Santosh Bangar from Hingoli district Kalamnuri.
“If you can’t break their arms then break their legs… ‘thok do’…show them their place…do not worry…I, Prakash Surve, will get you out on bail the very next day,” the MLA from Magathane said addressing a gathering of followers, implying that those from Shiv Sena’s Shinde faction would be violent with the Uddhav Thackeray camp’s followers.
Bangar, on the other hand, was caught on video assaulting and threatening a catering manager for reportedly serving sub-standard mid-day meals to the labourers in Hingoli district.
Pawar, while flaying the two MLAs, said, “They are trying to create tension in the state.”
According to him, the farmers were worst-affected in the state due to the heavy rains. “We have met governor (Bhagat Singh Koshyari), chief minister and deputy chief minister, but so far no relief has reached the farmers,” he said.
Danve pointed out that since the new government came to power, it had only paused all projects by the Thackeray-led MVA government. “For the bullet train project, they sanctioned crores but not a single rupee for the farmers,” Danve alleged.
Meanwhile, senior BJP leader and cultural affairs minister Sudhir Mungantiwar’s statement that government employees should answer phone calls with a “Vande Mataram”, and not “Hello”, seemed to have stirred up a row.
“The country is celebrating 75 years of Independence, and in accordance with its propriety, it was decided that government employees will no longer use ‘hello’ but start their telephonic conversation with ‘Vande Mataram’,” Mungantiwar said.
Pawar criticised the move, saying: “We say Jai Hind, Jai Maharashtra…there is no problem saying Vande Mataram…but you must also speak on price rise and GST.”
State Congress president Nana Patole said: “While Vande Mataram is our pride, but Baliraja (farmers) are also our pride…Congress workers will greet as Jai Baliraja…they are ‘annadata’ and they are facing problems, we don’t want to divert issues.”