Biased funding, says Congress, not true says, Fadnavis

Balasaheb Thorat, leader, Congress

Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat has accused the BJP-led government of providing rebel MLAs from the Shiv Sena and NCP huge developmental grants, apparently to appease the defected lot. He threatened to move court if other party MLAs were not treated likewise.

Speaking in the Assembly, Thorat said while the selected MLAs, who could not be made ministers, and others who need to be held back from returning to their original parties, were obliged; stalled works worth Rs 2,000 crore were ignored in the supplementary demands of Rs 41,000 crore. Thorat read out the individual amounts the MLAs had been granted, but did not name the legislators. Interestingly, most of the 106 MLAs of the BJP were also ignored, he said.

Devendra Fadnavis, deputy chief minister

"This imbalance is inappropriate. I have the figures for each constituency. Since I don't envy the beneficiaries, I will not name them," he said, adding, "Of the additional budget, 65 per cent has been given to the MLAs of the ruling parties. In one district, one constituency has been given Rs 735 crore while the entire district has been given Rs 215 crore."

Not true: Fadnavis

Replying to a similar debate in the upper house, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis denied the allegations. He said the MLAs were given development grants based on a system. "When I was the CM for five years, no such debate happened, because there was no such injustice. But when Uddhav Thackeray became the CM, a new custom of rejecting the Opposition MLAs' demands started. Then they blamed it on COVID-19. Was the pandemic only for the Opposition? In this year's budget, even Congress MLAs have been allotted sufficient grants. We will not do injustice to anyone, whatever your [the Opposition's] ways are," he said, adding that the stay on the works (started during the MVA regime) was lifted long ago, based on merit.

Labour dept to probe meal scam

The labour department will inquire into the alleged corruption in the mid-day meal scheme being implemented by the Construction Workers' Welfare Board, which is also accused of a scam in the supply of safety kits to registered beneficiaries. Labour Minister Suresh Khade made this announcement in the Assembly on Monday, in reply to a question raised by Shiv Sena's Kailash Ghadge Patil.

The labour commissioner will probe the allegations that crores of rupees were misappropriated in the meal scheme and kit supply. Patil had mentioned alleged irregularities in Dharashiv district, following which members from both sides demanded an inquiry in all districts of the state.

Khade denied irregularities but relented when pressed for the probe. Congress member Vijay Wadettiwar said the balanced meal contents that were included in the tender were not provided. He accused the authorities of inflating the number of beneficiaries to claim inflated bills. NCP's Anil Deshmukh supported Wadettiwar, saying he would quit politics if the charges were proved wrong.

He said Rs 8,000 had been given to the contractor for each safety kit that was available in the open market for R1,200 per piece. Khade assured an investigation into both allegations, but maintained that the lowest bidder was given the contract.