“Mr CM…the members are questioning graft charges against govt officials. I am fed up with corruption. Where is your admin heading? asked Speaker Shende
“Mr Chief Minister…the members are raising queries over graft charges against government officials. There are no queries other than this…just corruption. I am fed up with this. Mr Chief Minister where is your administration heading?” remarked a peeved legislative assembly Deputy Speaker, Pramod Shende on Monday.
An exasperated Shende made these remarks during the question hour, following a prolonged debate regarding alleged graft charges against RM Dayal, Conservator of Forests in Chandrapur raised by Victor Fretas (nominated).
Earlier, replying to the debate, deputy CM RR Patil stated that the government can conduct an inquiry against Dayal only after an approval from the UPSC. The home minister added that the government will also conduct narco test on the IFS officer.
In his written reply, Patil disclosed that during an Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) raid, Rs13,20,000 lakh cash was found in Dayal’s official car while Rs25,240 was recovered form his person. Replying to supplementaries, Minister of State for Home Siddharam Mhetre said the revenue department topped the chart with maximum number of corruption cases.
Going by the statistics of the ACB, the government was seriously considering amending the law to increase the ACB’s manpower and its powers, announced Patil. Khadse vs Shende war
Memories of an unsavoury spat between BJP’s Eknath Khadse and legislative assembly Dy Speaker Pramod Shende during last year’s Nagpur winter session were revisited on Monday, when the two were again locked in a bitter exchange of words. This time over supplementary queries being raised on a calling attention notice on rural water supply schemes, moved among others by Khadse.
Peeved over other members being allowed to raise supplementary queries over the notice, an aggrieved Khadse — resorting to use of legislative rules of business — sarcastically remarked that though he too was one of the members who had moved the notice, with due respect to the Chair did not want to raise any queries.
Shende stated that he was not denying Khadse his right to raise supplementaries and added that he was not at any loss if the member chose not to raise any further queries.
To this, an equally agitated Khadse remarked that Opposition members like him have to wage a struggle daily to raise queries in the House.
This was met with a swift counter-query from the Chair “do you not want others to ask questions?” The remarks were strongly objected to by Girish Mahajan (BJP). Supporting Khadse’s cause and other BJP members, Shiv Sena members too started raising slogans and later staged a walkout from the House.
Things did not stop at that, as Deputy Speaker Shende remarked that the Opposition’s denouncement had no effect on him.
It may be recalled that during the last winter session, a spat between Khadse and five other Opposition members had snowballed into a major controversy, with the Chair handing down suspension orders to the six MLAs.
Octroi abolition mulled
Deputy CM RR Patil told the House that the state was seriously considering the report recommending abolition of octroi levied in municipal corporation areas. The home minister stated that the government cannot afford to take a hasty decision in the matter, as it will have to provide alternate means to the civic bodies for raising revenue and the burden it would pose on the state exchequer.
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