The Congress-led Opposition continued to disrupt proceedings of Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Winter Session on the fifth straight day today as it staged walkouts on their demand of relief package for farmers, forcing one adjournment.
As soon as the House assembled for the day, Leader of Opposition Radha Krishna Vikhe Patil demanded suspension of Question Hour and announcing of package for farmers and crop loan waiver.
Panel Speaker Yogesh Sagar, didn't agree with Vikhe Patil and went ahead with calling the questions.
At this juncture, opposition members stormed the Well of the House and raised anti-government slogans and and threw pieces of papers in the air, all this lasted for about 20 minutes, followed by a first walkout.
When the Question Hour ended, opposition members re-entered the House, again demanding loan waiver announcement.
Amid the din, the Panel Speaker warned opposition from throwing pieces of paper in the air, but opposition ignored it and sensing that the opposition is in no mood to co-operate in running the House smoothly, Sagar adjourned the House for 10 minutes.
Revenue Minister Eknath Khadse also requested the opposition to participate in the proceedings and discuss the loan waiver issue threadbare in the House, which may lead to some solution to the crises as state was in the severe grip of drought and farmers were in distress.
Khadse reminded the Opposition, including NCP that veteran leader and former Union Minister for Agriculture, Sharad Pawar too had said yesterday during his felicitation on his 75th birthday, that Parliament/Assembly should function and should not be disrupted.
Replying to the comments of Vikhe Patil that the farmers suicides were on the rise, Khadse said Congress-NCP too had waived the crop loan and suicides continued. And therefore, crop loan waiver will not be a guarantee that suicides will stop forthright.
But Opposition denounced the stance and staged a walkout for the day.
Former Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and former Food and Drugs Minister Manohar Naik were the only two prominent NCP members who joined Congress in the protests and also walked out of House.
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Meanwhile, the Maharshtra Legislative Council was adjourned today as it witnessed noisy scenes with Opposition protesting over their demand of compensation package for farmers in the draught-hit regions of the state.
No real business could be transacted even on the straight fifth day of the Council session.
Leader of Opposition Dhananjay Munde said farmers have exceptions from the ongoing Winter Session and they are waiting for package announcement.
Jayant Patil of Shetkari Kamgar Party said government should clear its stand on the issue.
"There should be no communication gap between the ruling party and opposition, but here we are observing it," he said.
Manikrao Thakre of Congress and Jogendra Kawade of People's Republican Party spoke on raised the same issue.
In the mean time, opposition members gathered near the Well of the House and started raising slogans, prompting Chairperson Ramraje Naik Nimbalkar to adjourn the house for 30 minutes.
Later, similar situation prevailed and the House was once again adjourned for 20 minutes.
Opposition was firm on their demand on relief package announcement.
Leader of the House Ekanath Khadse said, "Government is ready to discuss and announce the package. We are facing the curse of last 15 years of your government. You people are wasting the time. We are ready."
Soon after it, deputy chairperson Vasantrao Dawkhare adjourned the house for next 15 minutes.
Even after the House reassembled, opposition members continued to indulge in sloganeering and protest, stalling the proceedings. The House was again adjourned for next one hour.
Despite Parliamentary Affair Minister Girish Bapat appeal to the opposition to run the House smoothly, opposition stuck to their demand of loan waiver announcement, following which the chairperson adjourned the house for the day.
