Will conduct 'puja' if Dhananjay, Pankaja come together: Patil

Senior BJP leader and Maharashtra minister Chandrakant Patil today said he would conduct a 'puja' if Leader of Opposition Dhananjay Munde and state Rural Development Minister Pankaja Munde come together, senior BJP minister Chandrakant Patil said today.
Patil was speaking in the state Legislative Council while replying to a discussion on motion of thanks to the Governor's address.
Earlier, the Leader of Opposition said the government should place before the House the list of farmers, who have availed benefits of the farm loan waiver scheme.
"Me and the Leader of Opposition can go together to districts and he can himself see the benefits that farmers have availed. We can even go to Beed district (from where both Dhananjay and Pankaja hail)," he said.

NCP MLC Satish Chavan then sought to know whether Patil and Dhananjay Munde would invite Pankaja, who is the Guardian Minister of Beed district.
Replying to him, Patil said, "If both of them come together, I will myself conduct the biggest puja for the Lord."

While Pankaja Munde, daughter of late Union minister Gopinath Munde, is a BJP leader, her cousin and political rival Dhananjay Munde is an NCP leader.
Patil also informed the House that 37 lakh farmers have availed the benefit of the state loan waiver scheme and total 1.9 crore families have applied for the scheme.
"Out of these, 54.72 lakh farmers are eligible to avail the benefits," Patil said.

The minister further said those farmers, who have not been found eligible for the scheme so far, can apply till March 31.
Later, supplementary demands for the year 2017-18 were tabled in the Legislative Council.