Nagpur: It is business time!! The second week of Winter Session of Maharashtra Legislature being held in Second Capital City of Nagpur witnessed business, albeit with usual noisy scenes, wordy duels, and protests in the House and outside as well over a host of issues. The week also witnessed lathi-charge on two occasions when morchas of two organizations turned violent forcing cops to retaliate to quell the protesters. The computer operators marching towards Vidhan Bhavan under the banner of Maharashtra Rajya Sanganak Parichalak Sanghatna to press their demands were at receiving end of the cane-charge. Members of Matang community too faced the wrath of policemen. Another unfortunate happening that took place was that a farmer who had consumed pesticides during a morcha taken out by AAP died while undergoing treatment in a Government Hospital.
As far as score of Government and Opposition is concerned it could be called as tied. Both the parties checkmated each other, scored a point or two and took severe beating on various fronts.
The week commenced with a marathon debate over agrarian crisis in the State. Initiating the debate, Opposition launched a blistering attack on Fadnavis Government and demanded total waiver of debts of drought-hit farmers, assistance Rs 25,000 per hectare for damage to crops such as cotton, paddy, soybean, oranges etc. “Even if Government is forced to take loans for providing relief to distressed farmers, the Government should go for it. We (Opposition) will not criticize you (Government),” declared the Leader of Opposition. Vidrabha, Marathwada and some other parts of the State are grappling with famine and demanded announcement of relief to the affected farmers immediately. “This Government is running away from the issue of waiver of farm loans,” charged the Opposition.
Gold Rate
Tuesday 28 Jan. 2025
In reply, the Chief Minister Fadnavis announced a comprehensive package of Rs 10,512 crore to provide relief to farmers in drought-hit areas. Apart from the package, Fadnavis also announced that dairy giant Nestle’s milk processing and branding project in Bhandra District, orange processing initiative “Orange Unnati” in Morshi and Raymond plant in Amravati.
Vidarbha development:
The issue of development of Vidarbha refused to diffuse in the Assembly even as the discussion under rule 293 on the region’s development kicked off on Friday with more fireworks from the Opposition. Lambasting the Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis over the issue, NCP MLA Jayant Patil said that the CM has backed off on his tall claims regarding development of Vidarbha even after one year of being into power. He alerted that if similar situation persists, all the 44 ‘lotuses’ (referring to Shiv Sena and BJP MLAs from Vidarbha as BJP’s symbol) will be replaced by ‘Ghadi’ and ‘Panja’ (party symbols of NCP and Congress) and then we would pick up the Chief Minister from Vidarbha, in the new arrangement.
Taking a dig at State Advocate General Shrihari Aney for his Vidarbha comments, Patil advised Fadnavis to move away from ‘one aana, two anaa (referring to Aney as pice) and focus on allround development of Vidarbha in his capacity as Maharashtra CM and draw sizeable investments. Representing a smaller state would be of little importance, he commented.
Separate Vidarbha issue on backburner:
In a major setback to the separate Vidarbha aspirations of hordes of leaders and people, the state government backed off on its poll promise in the assembly on Tuesday. Washing its hands off the Vidarbha statehood statement given by State Advocate General Shrihari Aney, the state government trashed the issue, shrugging the responsibility on Centre’s shoulders.
Presenting a resolution in this regard in the Legislative Council on Wednesday, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis sidelined himself from the statement saying that it was Aney’s personal views expressed on a public platform and he has in no way said anything defamatory to the sacrifice of 105 martrys.
MCOCA on NCP MLA?:
The Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis hit the last punch when he declared that the stringent MCOCA (Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act) could be slapped against NCP MLA Jitendra Awhad in connection with suicide case of Thane builder Suraj Parmar. Jitendra Awhad’s name cropped up in the suicide of builder Suraj Parmar. Fadanvis told the Assembly that the police investigations are being conducted on the basis of Parmar’s suicide note and two of his diaries recovered after the builder shot himself dead on October 7 this year. Much to the chagrin of Awhad, members cutting across party lines, including Opposition Leader Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, and others spoke on one voice that there was a need to break the nexus between builders and bureaucrats.
