Mumbai: The Budget session of Maharashtra
Legislature is set for a stormy start from March 18 with the
Opposition gearing up its ammunition to put the Congress-NCP
government on the mat over a host of issues including
law and order and load shedding.
With mercury levels rising in most parts of the state,
power and drinking water shortage is a cause of acute concern,
besides 6-14 hours of loadshedding every day.
About 22,000 villages have already been declared
scarcity-hit. The recent unseasonal rains in Pune, Konkan and
parts of Marathwada and Vidarbha have hit crops and sowing.
The Opposition will seek a detailed report from the
government on damages and steps taken by it to provide relief,
Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly Eknath Khadse said.
Also, it expects the budget to reflect on how it will
tackle price rise and improve the alarming debt situation.
There is no head way so far in the German Bakery bomb
blast case which killed 17 persons.
"Despite the tall promises made after the 26/11 terror
attacks about security measures, the government has fallen
flat on this count as is evident from the Pune blast. The
investigating agencies have made no headway in the probe. We
will question the government on this issue," he said.
Khadse said the Opposition will demand a detailed
discussion on Mumbai in the House.
"Lack of security, infrastructure, basic anemities
will be the focal point of our discussion," he said.
Another contentious issue that will be raked up by the
BJP is the Finance Minister Sunil Tatkare's statement of
waiving off entertainment tax of IPL matches in the state.
The party has alleged that the government was
favouring the cash-rich league and warned it will move the
court if the matches are not taxed.
On January 20, it was decided in the state cabinet
meeting to levy entertainment tax on IPL, he said. However,
the minutes of the decision were not made, BJP spokesman
Madhav Bhandari said.
"Chief Minister Ashok Chavan should explain if the
state cabinet has decided to give a tax waiver to IPL,"
Bhandari said.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Harshvardhan Patil told
agency that 21 bills will be introduced during the session.
Governor K Sankaranarayanan will address joint session
of the State Legislature on March 18 and Finance Minister
Sunil Tatkare will present his first budget on March 25.
"The Business Advisory Committee (BAC) has finalised
the business for two weeks. It will meet again on March 26 to
finalise the agenda for the rest of the session," he said.
Patil said MNS group leader Bala Nandgaonkar has
raised the issue of revoking the suspension of his party MLAs
during the BAC.
"But, this is not the issue before the BAC. The
decision was taken on the floor of the house and any move
regarding the decision will have to be discussed in the
House," he said.
Four MLAs-Shishir Shinde, Ram Kadam, Vasant Gite and
Ramesh Wanjale were suspended for four years for physically
assaulting SP MLA Abu Asim Azmi for taking oath in Hindi.
Ramdas Kadam, Leader of Opposition in previous
Legislative Assembly will be seen as the member of the Upper
House from this session onwards. He lost the Guhagar assembly
seat and was elected to the legislative council early this
year from the Mumbai local self government bodies
constituency.
Congress-NCP have also a task cut out for them due to the
large number of vacancies in the Upper House which will come
up from June this year.
Retiring members from Congress in July are Madhu Jain,
Sanjay Dutt, Pratapsinh Mohite Patil and Muzzafar Hussain.
NCP's Manda Mhatre and Shivaji Patil and Shiv Sena's Anil
Parab and Diwakar Raote, the group leader of the party in the
Legislative council are others.
Similarly, Deputy Chairman of the Legislative Council
Vasant Davkhare's term also ends in June this year.
Besides, there are two vacancies to be filled in by the
members of the Legislative Assembly since Shiv Sena's Suresh
Jethlia and BJP's Prakash Shendge have been elected to the
Legislative Assembly.
By-elections to Raigad-Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg local bodies
and Pune local bodies will be held on March 26. Five NCP
members retire in December this year out of which Chief
Minister Ashok Chavan has secured the Nanded local bodies seat
for the Congress while allowing Ratnagiri-Raigad-Sindhudurg
and Pune local bodies to go the NCP.
PTI
First Published: Tuesday, March 16, 2010, 12:08