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A four-day Budget session of the Maharashtra legislature starting from Monday is expected to be stormy as the Opposition parties have taken aggressive posture against the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) government.
The Shiv Sena, Bharatiya Janata party (BJP), Maharashtra Navnirman Sena and Peasants & Workers Party will grill the government on the deteriorating financial condition, especially due to the widening mismatch between the expenditure and revenue mobilisation and a lack of action against 16 tainted ministers despite their alleged involvement in various scams. The opposition will press for release of white paper on the present state of finances as they are concerned over the rising public debt, which is well over Rs 2.75 lakh crore.
Besides, the Opposition will take on the government for bailing out former chief minister Ashok Chavan in connection with the Adarsh housing society scam. The opposition parties, in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls, will also make a strong pitch for cancellation of toll collection and complete withdrawal of local body tax, which is introduced in almost all civic bodies excluding BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation.
Opposition parties also announced their decision not to participate in the customary tea meeting organised by chief minister Prithviraj Chavan on Sunday, the eve of the Budget session. The opposition has unanimously decided to seek explanation from state Governor K Sankaranarayanan during his address to the both the Houses of legislature on Monday.
Shiv Sena group leader in the state assembly Subhash Desai told Business Standard: “On the one hand, the government proposes to table the interim Budget and vote on account but on the other, it has issued an ordinance on continuation of tax concessions on a number of items. We will ask the government to bring out a white paper on the financial condition.” The ordinance was issued as the tax sops granted in the Budget proposal for 2013-14 will be over by the end of March 31.
Desai said the Opposition would seek reply from the government for its apathy and inaction on corrupt ministers. “We will also grill the government over the third parole extension granted to Sanjay Dutt who has been convicted by the Supreme Court for illegal possession of arms related to the 1993 Mumbai blasts case. However, no such relief is granted to Sadhvi Pradnya Singh and Colonel Prasad Purohit who are languishing in jail for their alleged involvement in Malegaon bomb blast. We are of the view that a special treatment is given to Sanjay Dutt as he is a brother of Congress MP Priya Dutt,” he alleged.
State minister Sachin Ahir said the government is well prepared to counter the Opposition’s attack. He said that finance minister Ajit Pawar will present interim Budget and vote-on-account on February 25 and on the same day it will passed after debate in both the Houses. The government will present the full Budget for 2014-15 during the monsoon session in July.
