Who cares for the state budget?

Not many care to look at the state budget these days. After all, it doesn’t affect our lives so much, that’s what we think. I will write about that some other day. Let’s talk about this year’s budget. Did you get to see the live television coverage? Finance minister Ajit Pawar tried to raise his already high-pitched voice, but his effort was drowned out by shouting Opposition members who were upset that the state government was sidelining them in the appointment of committee heads.

Nine MLAs have been suspended for disruption and the opposition has decided to boycott the proceedings till the suspension of their legislators is revoked. So this means that when they have an opportunity to make their presence felt in the legislature by raising people’s issues, they disrupt the house. And when they are suspended, they want to allowed back in. Why? So, that they could disrupt the house yet again?

In November 2009, I did a story with help from my colleague Aneesh Phadnis on how the  Maharashtra legislature had witnessed 27 incidents where MLAs were suspended for unruly behaviour. I had found that while in the initial years, MLAs were most vociferous on people's issues, the agitations turned uglier and over trivial issues post-1990.

Interestingly, this also coincided with the Shiv Sena’s increased presence in the legislature. Touchy-feely Sainiks could go on a rampage inside the sanctum sanctorum of democracy as if they were forcing a bandh on streets. The house witnessed its worst violence in 2000 when Chhagan Bhujbal tried to arrest Bal Thackeray. In unprecedented mayhem, property worth Rs2 crore was destroyed. As many as 11 members were suspended, only to be reinstated after a few months.

Compare this to 1964, when pro-Vidarbha leader Jambuvantrao Dhote was banned for life for breaking one microphone! Or senior-most member of the house Ganpatrao Deshmukh was suspended for merely shouting slogans against rising prices and non-availability of essential commodities. The people who sat on the Speaker’s chair then were made of steel and wouldn’t even allow the unfurling of a banner as Bhujbal found out in the 1980s. As action against the erring MLAs softened, they became prima donnas. This time, they didn’t allow the smooth tabling of the budget. We can’t predict what they will next. And mind you, all this is in your name — the public interest.

Tail piece: In my last column, I had praised Thane doctor Mahesh Gosavi for filing a case against Chandrakant Dhawale, daughter of then CM Shivajirao Nilangekar-Patil, after he failed in his MD exams while she was declared passed (in January 1986).
Since then, I have been informed that it was my former boss, Abhay Mokashi, who was then a reporter on the Indian Express, who had exposed the examination scam. Gosavi had filed his petition after the story was out in the press. The credit thus belongs to Abhay Mokashi.