The Maharashtra Legislative Assembly today passed the motion of thanks on Governor C Vidyasagar Rao's customary address to the legislature on the first day of Budget session on Monday, amid a din over loan waiver demand.
The motion of thanks was passed without any discussion as the legislators continued with their demand for granting a loan waiver for farmers in the state.
The bedlam forced the Speaker Haribhau Bagde to adjourn the House twice before it was adjourned for the day without transacting any business on third consecutive day.
As soon as the House assembled at 11 AM, the Opposition Congress-NCP resorted to sloganeering demanding that loans of farmers be waived off.
They were also joined by the members of ruling BJP and Shiv Sena who also raised slogans.
Barely a minute after the proceedings of the day started, the Speaker, who took his seat amid din, adjourned the House for thirty minutes.
However, the ruckus continued even after the House reassembled, leading to second adjournment for another half an hour.
While the MLAs from the Opposition and treasury benches continued raising slogans even after the House re-assembled after second adjournment, the Parliamentary Affairs Minister Girish Bapat moved the motion of thanks on Governor's address on Monday to the joint sitting of both the Houses.
The minister said the government will chart out its course on development and welfare policies in accordance with the assurances mentioned in the Governor's address.
He announced the decision of the Business Advisory Committee (BAC), which stated that there will be no proceedings on March 14 and March 21.
The Speaker said the motion of thanks on Governor's address has been approved by the House, after which he adjourned the proceedings for the day.
The two-day debate on the Governor's address was scheduled to begin yesterday and end today with the Chief Minister's reply.
The House will now meet on March 15.
The issue of the loan waiver for farmers has rocked the proceedings of the Lower House for the last two days where no business could be transacted.
Earlier in the day, some Shiv Sena ministers and MLAs,
including the Minister of State (MoS) for Home Deepak Kesarkar and MoS, Cooperation Department, Dada Bhuse raised slogans in support of the loan waiver demand outside the Assembly.
"Sena wants to waive off farmers' loan as they are badly affected by the crashing of prices of tur, onion and other foodgrains recently. Farmers are unable to earn better and if loans are not waived off, there might be more suicides," Bhuse told reporters.
