Maharashtra Chief Minister (CM) Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday criticised the opposition after Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) leaders skipped the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) meeting on the eve of the state’s Budget Session, which is expected to feature intense debates on the plane crash that killed Deputy CM Ajit Pawar and other key issues.
The opposition also boycotted the customary tea hosted by Fadnavis, citing the state government’s lack of regret over the potential impact of the trade deal between India and the United States (US) on cotton growers and fisherfolk in Maharashtra.
At a press conference, Fadnavis claimed that the signature of a former NCP (SP) legislator appeared on a memorandum submitted to him. Questioning the unity among MVA allies, he said NCP (SP) leaders had skipped an opposition meeting held earlier in the day.
Fadnavis further alleged that the memorandum was full of grammatical errors and appeared to be a copy-paste from newspaper articles.
The Maharashtra CM said the month-long Budget Session would see the introduction of 15 Bills and announced that he would present the State Budget on March 6, seeking to implement Pawar’s ideas and suggestions.
“Late Pawar had allocated Rs 500 crore for an AI mission for farmers,” Fadnavis said, adding that 30 lakh farmers had already registered on the app developed under the initiative.
No direct role of Narhari Zirwal in bribery case so far: Maharashtra CM
On law and order, the CM said he had given full powers to the anti-corruption bureau (ACB) to act on complaints. Referring to the ongoing investigation into a bribery case in NCP Minister Narhari Zirwal’s office, he stated that the probe so far did not establish any direct role of the minister.
“Just because wrongdoing has happened in a minister’s cabin, he cannot be held responsible unless there is proof,” Fadnavis said.
He also accused the opposition of “continuously insulting the people`s mandate” and asserted that the Mahayuti alliance’s victory in local body polls demonstrates that the government is functioning sincerely.
Earlier, NCP (SP) leaders had remained absent from an MVA meeting aimed at projecting opposition unity ahead of the Budget Session, with Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) attributing the absence to a “communication gap”.
Deputy CM Eknath Shinde, present alongside Fadnavis, noted that while the opposition boycotted the traditional tea party, one of their own allies had also skipped the opposition meeting.
“It is very sad that we have to pay tributes to him. But everyone is helpless before destiny,” he added, referring to Ajit Pawar.
Deputy CM Sunetra Pawar said, “We have requested a CBI probe into the air crash, and the Chief Minister has assured a thorough investigation.”
She recalled that her late husband, as finance minister, had presented the state budget 11 times.
“This year, he would have presented the 12th Budget. Under his leadership, the state’s allocations grew, and he never compromised on fiscal discipline,” she added.
Sunetra Pawar further said this will be her first session and expressed hope for a smooth legislative process.
(With PTI inputs)
