Opposition will target Maharashtra govt over agrarian distress, says Ajit Pawar

The Opposition will corner the Eknath Shindeled Maharashtra government over agrarian distress and the state losing investment projects in the winter session of the legislature beginning here on Monday opposition leader Ajit Pawar saidAddressing a press conference on Sunday Pawar also informed the Opposition has unanimously decided to boycott the customary tea party to be hosted by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde later in the day Other issues like remarks by state Governor B S Koshyari on Shivaji Maharaj and the simmering border row with Karnataka are also likely to dominate the winter sessionThe Opposition will target the government over bigticket investment projects preferring other states over Maharashtra and the agrarian distress Pawar the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly saidPawars counterpart in the Legislative Council Ambadas Danve Shiv Sena UBT Dilip Walse Patil Chhagan Bhujbal senior leaders of the Nationalist Congress Party and state Congress president Nana Patole were also present He said it was unanimously decided to boycott the tea party invitation extended by the chief ministerIts been nearly six months that the Shinde government has come to power but it has not been able to fulfil the expectations of the people Pawar addedOn Saturday in a show of strength the Maha Vikas Aghadi comprising the Shiv Sena the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party NCP had taken out a protest march in Mumbai primarily to protest against the insult meted out to the iconsAlso read Maharashtra Governor Koshyaris remarks border row with Karnataka to dominate winter sessionTargeting the state government over the border row with Karnataka Pawar on Sunday said CM Shinde was unable to present the case as aggressively as his Karnataka counterpart Basavraj Bommai didHe said while the merger of 865 villages having a Marathispeaking population in Bidar Nipani and Belgavi in Karnataka is still pending many villages from Maharashtra bordering other states have been making demands to integrate with neighbouring states Such a thing has never happened in the last 62 years the former Deputy CM saidHe was referring to the demands made by some villages along the Gujarat and Karnataka borders seeking to merge with the neighbouring states claiming the lack of development in their parent state MaharashtraOn the agrarian distress Pawar said farmers have suffered losses due to unseasonal rains but they are yet to receive crop insurance and compensationHe alleged crop procurement centres are being set up by looking at a persons face alluding that preference is given to those who are close to the ruling partyPawar said the Opposition would also question the government over bigticket projects preferring other states over Maharashtra a development which deprived lakhs of the youth of jobs and industries allied to these projectsThe Opposition has been vociferous over projects like the VedantaFoxconn semiconductor plant TataAirbus aircraft project bulk drug park and medical device park choosing other states over MaharashtraPawar accused CM Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis of not taking up the issue regarding the projects with the Centre properlyHe alleged students from a minority community tribal backward and other backward classes are yet to receive the scholarship amountPawar said the ShindeFadnavis government is a stay government a reference to the states decision to put on hold the goahead given to some projects by the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi governmentPawar also targeted Fadnavis over his statement that the Uddhav Thackerayled government was toppled right under its noseFadnavis had been plotting against the MVA government the day it was formed he allegedThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever