The Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) Government will go all out to put the Opposition BJP on the defensive in the Winter Session of the Maharashtra Legislature beginning in Nagpur on Monday, by trying to corner former Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis among other things over the piled up the State’s debts amounting to a staggering Rs 6.71 lakh crore and his failure to implement properly the farm loan waiver scheme.
The Sena—NCP—Congress Government will also try to embarrass Fadnavis, who is now the leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly, by raking up the issue of questionable decision of invoking the controversial provision in the schedule of rates for irrigation projects to reguilarise payments for additional works worth several hundred crores of rupees, taken by him days ahead the State Assembly polls.
Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has already stayed Fadnavis’ decision. The treasury benches will in all likelihood go for the jugular against Fadnavis, alleging irregularities in the decision taken by the former Chief Minister.
The two major developments that can be expected during the week-long budget session of the State Legislature are: the tabling of a white paper on the State’s current fiscal position and unveiling of a relief package for the unseasonal rain-hit farmers in the State.
Through the white paper on the current fiscal position of the state, the ruling MVA will attempt to put the previous Devendra Fadnavis Government over the “mishandling” of the State’s finances. It may also speak about stalling of certain development projects, including the construction of a car shed for Metro phase-III at Aarey Colony in south Mumbai and bullet train project.
The ruling front leaders will also try to needle Fadnavis over BJP MP from Karnataka Ananta Kumar Hegde’s claim that during his 80 hour-tenure as Chief Minister of Maharashtra the former “moved back Rs 40,000 crore” to the Centre. Fadnavis will have to face the music despite the fact that he has already denied the allegation and hit back at party colleague Hegde for making “false” and “baseless” claims when the fact remained that “the state did not return even one naya paisa to the Centre”.
The treasury benches will also try to exploit the statements by disgruntled BJP leader Eknath Khandse and upset Pankaja Munde and delay on the part of the previous Devendra Fadnavis Government to construct a memorial for Gopinathrao Munde at Aurangabad, to project the BJP in a poor light.
In the brief session, there will be no customary question hour. There will be debates on Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari’s address to joint session of the two houses of State Legislature delivered in Mumbai on December 1, supplementary demands of the budget, official and unofficial bills and passing of a resolution congratulating Sharad Arvind Bobde, who hails from Nagpur, on his appointment as the Chief Justice of India.
On its part, the Opposition BJP will try to drive a wedge between the ruling Shiv Sena and Congress over the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), 2019 in Maharashtra. While the Congress has opposed the CAA, the NCP is seeking consensus over the CAA implementation. The Shiv Sena, which had supported the Citizens Amendment Bill (CAB) in the Lok Sabha and staged a walk out in Rajya Sabha before the bill was put to vote in Rajya Sabha, has not made it stand clear on the CAA.
The BJP has already laid bare its game plan to corner the Shiv Sena over CAA issue. Advising its erstwhile ally Shiv Sena to go ahead and implement Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), 2019 in Maharashtra, the BJP said on Saturday said it was ready to make a “political compromise” and support the Sena in the event of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) Government’s collapse over the implementation of CAA in the State. Rahul Gandhi’s “My name is not Rahul Savarkar, I am Rahul Gandhi” comment has given fodder to the Opposition to target the Shiv Sena.
The BJP will exert pressure on Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to speak his mind on CAA and Rahul’s controversial comment However, Uddhav is unlikely to oblige the Opposition as his statements will have a bearing on the stability of the MVA Government,
The winter session will witness nomination of a new Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Maharashtra Legislative Council in place of NCP leader Dhananjay Munde. With the change in the government in the State, Munde has moved to the ruling side and the LoP’s position has fallen vacant.
In the normal course, the then BJP’s group leader Chandrakant Patil would have become the LoP in place of Munde in the Upper House. Since Patil was elected to the State Assembly in the recent elections, Patil is no longer a member of the State Legislative Council. There are three contenders from the BJP — Bhai Girkar, Dr Parinay Purke and Prvain Darekar — LoP’s post. It remains to be seen as to who — among these three leaders — will become the LoP in the Upper House.