Mahayuti expected to face the heat in budget session

CM: Decision on tainted ministers hinges on morality

- Surendra P Gangan

MUMBAI: With a range of issues going against it, the ruling Mahayuti is expected to face some uneasy moments in the four-week budget session beginning on March 3. The opposition is expected to corner it over its tainted ministers, the spiral in crimes against women, corruption cases against ex-ministers and unrest among farmers over the procurement of agri produce.

The uneasiness over the rift between chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and deputy CM Eknath Shinde is also expected to reflect in the budget session. Many projects passed during the previous Shinde government have been either stayed or scrapped by Fadnavis. The CM has on occasion also taken decisions related to departments led by the Shiv Sena, leading to disgruntlement and a sulking Shinde staying away from key meetings and events.

"This uneasiness is bound to reflect during the session, also given that Fadnavis and his other deputy Ajit Pawar share a better relationship," said a BJP leader. "However, the opposition is one of the weakest in Maharashtra's history, giving us an edge despite our many issues. Perhaps that is the reason why the Mahayuti has been able to push through despite the outcry against Dhananjay Munde in the murder case of Massajog sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh."

Another NCP leader, agriculture minister Manikrao Kokate, has been convicted by a Nashik court for using fraudulent documents to get a government quota flat. The opposition alliance, Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA), on Sunday afternoon announced that it intended to push for the resignation of Munde and Kokate.

It is also expected to corner the government over the decline in the development budget due to such populist schemes.