Fadnavis says the budget session, which would have Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar presenting the interim budget, would also see 11 bills being tabled
The Shiv Sena may have finally allied with the BJP after almost five years of bitter acrimony, but there are indications that the two parties are yet to iron out a crucial sticking point —the chief minister's post.
While the Shiv Sena had demanded the chief minister's position as a precondition for allying with the BJP, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, while announcing the alliance last week, had said responsibilities would be split equally between the two parties. Later, Environment Minister Ramdas Kadam had said that if the two parties did not share the position for two-and-a-half years each, after the Assembly elections, the alliance would be called off. This was denied by BJP leader and Revenue Minister Chandrakant Patil.
"The statements made in the press conference by Uddhavji (Sena president Uddhav Thackeray) and me are authentic. If statements made by Ramdasji (Kadam) and Chandrakant Patil are incongruent, then, the statements made by me and Uddhavji must be considered as authentic," Fadnavis said while speaking to reporters on the eve of the budget session of the state legislature.
Fadnavis also denied charges made by opposition parties Congress and NCP that the Shiv Sena has allied with the BJP due to the fear of any action by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). "They (opposition) are the ones scared of action by the ED. For us, ED only means efficient development," he added.
Fadnavis said the budget session, which would have Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar presenting the interim budget, would also see 11 bills being tabled.
Responding to allegations made by the opposition, Fadnavis said, of the 82 lakh drought-affected farmers, financial aid has been given to 42 lakh, while work to cover the rest is underway. A total of Rs 18,000 crore has been devolved to the accounts of 44 lakh farmers; this share is part of the total Rs 24,000 crore announced for farm loan waivers.
The state has also waived off Rs 361 crore worth seasonal loans given to tribals between 2009 to 2014.
A total of 2,435 tankers are operational in 2,019 villages and 4,592 hamlets in Maharashtra, underlining the impact of the drought in the state, largely in areas like Aurangabad, Jalna, Satara, Solapur, Ahmednagar, and Beed. This is more than the 266 tankers which serviced 277 villages and four hamlets for the same period in 2018.
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