Opposition to boycott Maharashtra govt’s high tea ahead of Budget Session

Senior Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray leader Bhaskar Jadhav said the opposition will boycott the customary tea party hosted by Chief Minister CM Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday ahead of Maharashtra Legislaturersquos Budget Session news agency PTI reportedFadnavis had personally written to senior leaders inviting them to the event which is traditionally held on the eve of a legislature session Jadhav saidldquoThe ruling party is arrogant and shows little respect towards the opposition As there is no respect no decency and no regard for the Constitution we have decided to decline the high tea invitationrdquo Jadhav told reportersHe also criticised the trade deal between India and the United States claiming it would adversely impact cotton growers and fisherfolk in the stateHowever the Fadnavis government has expressed no regret over the Union Governmentrsquos decision and therefore it was decided to boycott the high tea invitation the Shiv Sena UBT leader addedJadhav said another reason for declining the invite was the Maharashtra governmentrsquos ldquoambiguous standrdquo on the death of Deputy CM Ajit Pawar in a plane accidentMaharashtra opposition flags Ladki Bahin scheme farmer suicides and Davos MoUsHe also criticised the state government over the implementation of the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin scheme alleging that ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024 Rs 1500 per month was disbursed to women without verification and votes were ldquoboughtrdquo and later more than 50 lakh women were declared ineligible on trivial groundsHe further said that many women will now not receive the allowance as they have not completed eKYC know your customerMeanwhile Congress Legislative Party leader Vijay Wadettiwar said 22 farmers had died by suicide in Yavatmal while 76 had ended their lives in the Marathwada region alleging that the state government had taken no steps to address the issueHe also criticised the state government over the memoranda of understanding signed at the World Economic Forum in Davos pointing out that several of the companies were already based in Maharashtra and some lacked adequate capital PTI reportedThe opposition will demand a white paper on the matter he saidWadettiwar also questioned why if such large investments were coming to Maharashtra the government could not increase the Ladki Bahin schemersquos monthly stipend from Rs 1500 to Rs 3000Maharashtra has not received Rs 29000 crore from CentreldquoSince December Maharashtra had sought Rs 29000 crore from the Union government but had not yet received itrdquo he said alleging that Gujarat was being given preferential treatment over MaharashtraThe Congress leader further claimed that nearly 600 acres of land near Nagpur categorised as reserved forest land had been leased to the Adani Group at Rs 1 lakh per acre and alleged that the government had also permitted a mining project adjacent to the Tadoba Andhari Tiger ReserveldquoWhen the Maha Vikas Aghadi was in power it had opposed the decision and did not grant permissionrdquo he saidHe also claimed that 157 lakh women and girls were missing in Maharashtra PTI reportedSatej Patil Leader of the Congress in the Legislative Council said nearly 70 lakh youths had registered themselves as unemployed in the stateHe also criticised the Rs 102 lakh crore Shaktipeeth Mahamarg project stating that it was unnecessary and that nobody had demanded it yet the state government was pushing itPatil further alleged that a raid on Minister Narhari Zirwalrsquos office in Mantralaya could not have taken place without the CMs consentldquoIf Fadnavis seriously wished to improve the statersquos image he should have sought Zirwalrsquos resignationrdquo Patil said adding that if the AntiCorruption Bureau in Maharashtra is truly autonomous and free from pressure opposition leaders would honour its officialsWith PTI inputs