MLAs want to help farmers but not with their money

“Are you willing to take a cut in your development fund to assist the farmers?” asked a combative deputy chief minister and finance minister, Ajit Pawar, in the Vidhan Sabha. 

Not one MLA, whether from the opposition or the treasury benches, said yes, clearly showing that no one was willing to bear the burden personally. 

That put an end to the debate in the house, ignited after the government’s Rs2,000-crore package was announced on Wednesday for cotton, paddy, and soya farmers. The opposition had declared that this amount was not enough, and demanded that the government should provide Rs5,000 crore.

Some opposition members wanted to know how an extra Rs10,000-crore debt could actually make a difference, considering it was already reeling from a debt of Rs2 lakh-crore.
It was at this point that Pawar stood up and said the government had done what it could within its constraints. It was at this point that he asked MLAs if they would part with their development funds to help the farmers. Every MLA is entitled to Rs2 crore per year, to be used for various development activities in their constituency.

Of course, later, the opposition members again disrupted the house, demanding more money, and after the government tabled its bills by early afternoon, the assembly was adjourned for the day.