By boycotting the remaining two weeks of the Budget session in the Maharashtra assembly, Congress and NCP, along with other small parties, have decided to take out a statewide Sangharsh Yatra to press for loan waiver for farmers. Taking in to account the festivities of Gudi Padwa, the Opposition has decided to start its statewide protest march for loan waiver from March 29.
By boycotting the remaining two weeks of the Budget session in the Maharashtra assembly, Congress and NCP, along with other small parties, have decided to take out a statewide Sangharsh Yatra to press for loan waiver for farmers. Taking in to account the festivities of Gudi Padwa, the Opposition has decided to start its statewide protest march for loan waiver from March 29.
The state government faced wrath from its alliance partner Shiv Sena inside assembly over the same issue.
Leader of Opposition in state assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil along with NCP leaders Ajit Pawar and Jayant Patil gave a letter to speaker Haribhau Bagade seeking their own suspension. Vikhe-Patil informed media persons that if 19 MLAs had been suspended for pressing the demand of loan waiver, they should also be suspended for the same.
After a meeting of the entire Opposition at Vikhe-Patil's bungalow, it was decided that a state-wide march for loan waiver would be taken out. Former Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan said that since the government was not yielding to the demand for loan waiver, the Opposition would reach out to the people. He said that the Sangharsh Yatra would be started from Chandrapur or Nagpur since Vidarbha had maximum number of farmer suicides. He also said that the final programme of the week-long statewide march would be finalised in a day or two but all the 83 MLAs of the Congress and the NCP would participate in this march and would conduct small meetings at various places on this issue.
Meanwhile, efforts by Speaker Haribhau Bagade to bring about truce between Treasury Benches and the Opposition failed again on Thursday. During a meeting at Bagade's chamber on Thursday morning just before the House commenced, the Opposition demanded the revocation of the suspension of 19 MLAs. The MLAs were suspended for creating a ruckus in the House when Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar presented the budget on Saturday. Chavan said that the Opposition pressed for its demand that unless suspension is revoked, the boycott would not be reconsidered. Chief Minister Fadnavis remained adamant. Fadnavis is believed to have conveyed it firmly that 19 MLAs were facing action not only for unruly behavior but also for bringing a shame to the House.
While the state assembly transacted business without any Opposition member in the House, Shiv Sena MLAs criticised the Budget on Thursday. Sena MLAs Vijay Auti, Anil Kadam, Jaiprakash Mundada said that instead of providing for massive projects like bullet train and Nagpur-Mumbai super-communication expressway, the government should provide for loan waiver for once and all.
Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Girish Bapat appealed to the Opposition to participate in the Budget discussion and express their grievances on the floor of the House. He said that there was no question of revoking the decision of suspension since House is apex and the action was for indiscipline.
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