Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde with Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar during a press conference ahead of the Winter session of Maharashtra Assembly, in Nagpur, on December 6, 2023.
| Photo Credit: PTI
Opposition parties in Maharashtra on December 6 opted out of the traditional tea party on the eve of the Maharashtra legislature’s Winter Session in Nagpur, accusing the Eknath Shinde-led ‘Mahayuti’ government of mishandling issues like riots, drug crime and farmer distress.
As per tradition, the Winter Session of the State legislature convenes in Nagpur, Maharashtra’s second capital, annually. Over 11,000 policemen, 40 bomb squads, and 10 companies of the State Reserve police force (SRPF) among other security forces will be deployed in Nagpur for the Assembly session.
Leader of the Opposition, Vijay Wadettiwar, highlighted concerns based on the National Crime Records Bureau data, alleging the government’s failure to address agrarian issues, curb drug supply, and respond to riots.
“We received the State government’s invitation for the tea party, but we find it highly inappropriate to attend. We have chosen to boycott the event,” he said.
Slamming the government
Drawing from recently released NCRB data, the Congress leader claimed that 22,746 farmers in Maharashtra had died by suicide due to agrarian distress and indebtedness, and accused the Shinde government of neglecting these issues and failing to control the rampant drug supply, citing 8,218 reported rioting cases in 2022.
Mr. Wadettiwar questioned whether such circumstances would attract fresh investments to the State. Furthermore, the Congress leader alleged that the State government had not disbursed ₹50,000 in financial assistance to every farmer who suffered crop losses the previous year.
Expressing suspicions about the politically motivated selection of 40 tehsils for drought declaration, he added, “These tehsils appear to be chosen with certain politicians in mind,” he said.
Earlier in the day, Opposition parties convened a meeting to discuss the agenda for the upcoming Winter Session. The discussions are expected to focus on issues such as the Maratha reservation demand and crop losses over the next ten days.
The 14-day Winter Session of the State Assembly will culminate on December 20.
Meanwhile, former Home Minister and Sharad Pawar’s NCP leader Anil Deshmukh asserted that the NCP office in Vidhan Bhavan, Nagpur, belongs to his faction and not to the group led by Ajit Pawar.
He said that members who defected from the NCP and joined other parties should approach the Assembly Speaker for a separate office in Vidhan Bhavan. The NCP witnessed a split on July 2, with Mr. Ajit Pawar and eight MLAs aligning with the BJP government, leading to both factions claiming the party name and symbol.