Maharashtra govt may face heat in Assembly

The monsoon session of the Maharashtra legislature starts tomorrow amid drought-like conditions prevailing in more than 15 districts of the state. But it is not just the administration’s alleged “lapses” in tackling the water scarcity that could make the three-week sitting a stormy affair.

The Opposition is all geared up to fire salvos against the ruling Congress-led coalition on issues such as a recent spate of female foeticide, corruption cases involving senior ministers, irrigation backlog and the regime’s dilly-dallying over publication of a white paper on the irrigation sector.

On top of them all, the government will have to give an explanation on the June 21 fire which broke out in the Mantralaya. The opposition parties are also agitated over the government’s affidavit in the Bombay High Court against a CBI probe into the Adarsh scam, besides its alleged efforts to save former chief ministers Vilasrao Deshmukh, Sushil Kumar Shinde and Ashok Chavan in the case on alleged irregularities in the allotment of property, originally meant for Kargil War heroes.

The Opposition has already flayed the government for the transfer of CBI joint director Rishi Raj Singh to the Economic Offence Wing, given that it has coincided with the filing of the chargesheet against Chavan and 12 other accused in the Adarsh scandal.

On its part, the ruling Congress-NCP alliance has indicated that it was prepared to hold a debate on all these issues and ready to address the Opposition’s charges.

State rehabilitation minister Patangrao Kadam says the government has set up special depots for supply of water and fodder in areas where rains have eluded this monsoon. “We have paid adequate attention on undertaking works under the employment guarantee scheme,” he told Business Standard. “The government is ready to face the Opposition on other issues, too.”

Chief minister Prithviraj Chavan has already announced that the Mantralaya inferno was an accident, and there was no conspiracy or sabotage. “True, several files were burnt, but we are ready to reply to all questions and calling-attention motions,” he had said. Also, the government’s focus now was on using dam water for drinking purpose, and not for irrigation, he added.

Eknath Khadse, who is leader of the Opposition in the state assembly, disputed the government’s “claims”, saying the reality was “quite different” in the scarcity-hit districts.

Further, the government was “not at all serious” in addressing the long-pending issue of irrigation backlog , he said, while attacking the chief minister for his “turnaround” on releasing a white paper on irrigation.

One target of the Opposition, thus, would be irrigation minister Sunil Tatkare, also for his alleged involvement in rampant corruption. Opposition has decided to grill Tatkare over “evidences” against his land deals and the 140 companies he and his family set up in a span of three years. Tatkare, though, has all the support from his party chief, NCP leader Sharad Pawar. Only two days ago, he slammed the Opposition for “levelling such allegations for the sake of publicity”.