Desperate to ensure smooth passage of budget with opposition support, chief minister risks Rs500 crore additional cost.
The Democratic Front government is likely to offer hike in the development funds to MLAs to buy peace with the opposition in the budget session.
The biggest concern for chief minister Prithviraj Chavan is the smooth passage of the budget 2011-12 with the support of the opposition parties in both the legislative assembly and council.
The initiative has come from the senior leadership in the Congress which feels that substantial raise in the development funds sanctioned by deputy chief minister and finance minister Ajit Pawar on the floor of the house could lead to breaking the deadlock in the session.
The proposed hike is from Rs1.5 crore to Rs3 crore. It would incur an additional cost of Rs500 crore to the state treasury.
It is felt that substantial raise to members across party lines will also help in soothing the ruffled features of the Congress complaining of higher budgetary allocations to NCP members.
A source in the government said, “The central leadership of the Congress has taken a serious note of the developments in Maharashtra. What has set them worried is that the Congress image is being tarnished because of the abrasive behaviour of NCP minister Ajit Pawar.”
A state Congress general secretary said: “The central leadership in the Congress has already held discussions with Chavan. They have urged him to find an amicable way to get the opposition end their boycott of the session.”
The non-functioning of the assembly and council has taken its toll on important government bills including the passage of 50% reservation for women in the local bodies across Maharashtra.
Leader of the opposition Eknath Khadse said, “Our main objection is to the highhandedness of the finance minister in allocations of funds to the ruling parties and ignoring the opposition. Unless the government takes corrective measures we will lift the boycott.”
On Monday morning the parliamentary affairs minister Harshvardhan Patil will convene a meeting with the leaders of the opposition parties to evolve a formula to end the acrimony in the session.
Patil said, “It is our endeavor to get the opposition back to the assembly and council. We would definitely look forward to their support in the session.”
Some of the demands placed by the opposition before the government include revoking the suspension order against nine MLAs. Five Sena and four BJP MLAs were suspended last week for the entire year for disrupting the budget speech of Pawar.
Sources in the Congress revealed, “Chavan is not in favour to taking a tough stand. Initially, the NCP wanted to suspend even senior leaders like Khadse and Sudhir Mungantiwar. But Chavan prevailed on Pawar against taking any action against senior leaders of BJP.”
Insiders in the Congress-NCP admit that senior ministers have apprised NCP president Sharad Pawar about state developments in session. “They have sought his intervention to speak to Ajit Pawar not to stretch the battle against opposition beyond a point,” said one of them.
Political managers in Congress are quick to point out how it was Sharad Pawar who had to seek an apology when media declared a boycott against Ajit Pawar a couple of months ago.
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