Opposition boycotts Maharashtra CM's customary tea meeting

BJP blamed for slow pace of growth, neglect of farmers

Opposition parties in Maharashtra on Sunday assumed an aggressive posture against the BJP-led government by boycotting the customary tea meeting organised by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on the eve of the monsoon session. Opposition parties, including Congress, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Samajwadi Party (SP), Republican Party of India (Kawade group) and Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM), said the government has failed on all fronts.

A decision to boycott the tea summit was taken at the meeting convened by the Leader of Opposition in the state assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil. The parties indicated that the three-week monsoon session beginning Monday will be quite stormy.

The Opposition squarely blamed the eight-month rule of the BJP-led government for the slow pace of growth due to inaction, burgeoning differences between the BJP and its ruling partner Shiv Sena, and trust deficit between the government and the bureaucracy.

Vikhe-Patil said Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was busy travelling overseas, but the industrial development has been impacted adversely.  

Despite claims about transparency and mandatory e-tendering, some ministers have bypassed these norms, which led to multi-crore scams.

The Leader of Opposition in the state council Dhananjay Munde blamed the government for criminal neglect towards farmers reeling under serious crisis due to a dry spell. He said the government lacks the seriousness to waive loans of farmers saying the Opposition will pursue the matter in the legislature.

Both Vikhe-Patil and Munde targeted Fadnavis for the collapse of law and order, and demanded stern action for its restoration.