Displaying its belligerence on the eve of the start of the Budget Session of the Maharashtra legislature, the BJP-led Opposition on Sunday boycotted the tea get-together hosted by Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan and threatened to disrupt Governor K Sankaranaryanan’s address to a joint sitting of both the Houses unless he and DF Government came clean on four crucial issues raised by it.
Talking to media persons here, leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly, Eknath Khadse and his counterpart from the Council Vinod Tawde of the BJP, said that the Opposition members would seek clarifications from the Governor and DF Government on four crucial issues—rejection of the CBI’s plea for sanction for the prosecution of former chief minister Ashok Chavan in the Adarsh scam, toll collection policy, the Government’s stand on the Octroi/local Body Tax (lBT) and the need for prosecution of 16 DF ministers facing corruption charges.
“We would not allow the Governor to deliver his address to a joint sitting of bothj he Houses unless and until we get satisfactory answers to the four issues raised by us,” Khadse said, after a pre-budget session meeting of group leaders of various Opposition parties in the state.
Given the aggressive mood of the Opposition –comprising among others the Shiv Sena, BJP, MNS and PWP, the relatively brief budget session – beginning on Monday -- is expected to be stormy.