Rs70k crore drought fund diverted: Opposition

The assembly session on Thursday was adjourned over an issue worth Rs70,000 crore. While this sum was meant for the drought-hit regions of Vidharbha and Marathwada, the Opposition alleged that in the last ten years, the top leaders of western Maharashtra diverted it to their own constituencies.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Eknath Kadase said, “The state government is controlled by leaders of western Maharashtra and is conspiring to divert as much as funds there as possible.”

BJP MLA Devendra Fadnavis said that with Rs50,000 crore diverted from Vidharbha and Rs20,000 from Marathwada, many irrigation projects in the regions were halted for indefinite periods and led to farmer suicides.

An affidavit filed by the state advocate general last week said that it was not binding for the state to follow and implement all directives of the governor. Referring to this, Khadse said, “The advocate general has insulted the house decision. Until and unless he is called to the house, we will not allow it to function.”

As chief minister Prithviraj Chavan, deputy CM Ajit Pawar, state agriculture minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil and revenue minister Balasaheb Thorat are all from western Maharashtra, it was alleged that they dominated cabinet meetings as well.

Trying to pacify the opposition, parliamentary affairs minister Harshvardhan Patil said the government would study the affidavit and decide on it.

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