Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis left for Nagpur today to attend a wedding in the family of a BJP MP, leaving the opposition fuming for skipping Assembly proceedings in lieu of the marriage.
"The chief minister has insulted farmers by leaving the session midway to attend a wedding in the family of a rich businessman MP of the BJP," Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council Dhananjay Munde said.
"At a time when lakhs of farmers are reeling under a drought and a recent spell of unseasonal rains are looking with hope towards a debate in the House about their plight, Fadnavis deemed it appropriate to leave Assembly proceedings midway and fly to Nagpur for the wedding," Munde said.
Former minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MLA Shashikant Shinde also said that the Maharashtra chief minister should have sat through the House proceedings instead of skipping them for the wedding.
However, BJP's ruling ally Shiv Sena rushed to the Maharashtra Chief Minister's defence.
"Everyone has sentiments. All public representatives have to attend to events like weddings and deaths in the family. It is a human sentiment and politics should not be brought into it," Sena MLA Gulabrao Patil said.
"Moreover, there is a senior cabinet minister Eknath Khadse, who handles concerned departments revenue and agriculture, present in the House for the debate," Patil said.
