Budget not designed with eye on polls, says Mungantiwar

Maharashtra Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar Thursday trashed the opposition's charge that the state budget for 2019-20 was a populist one and presented keeping an eye on the upcoming Assembly polls.

Mungantiwar said the BJP-led state government took decisions in the interest of the people throughout the last five years of its rule.

"They (the opposition) feel deterred when we do justice with all sections of the society (through the budget). They keep saying that the announcements were made in view of elections," he said.

"Was there any election in 2015? But we abolished LBT (local body tax) then. We exempted light motor vehicles from toll. We provided Maratha reservation," the minister said.

To a question, Mungantiwar said Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had agreed to relocate a refinery project in Ratnagiri when the BJP forged an alliance with the Shiv Sena for the Lok Sabha polls as that was the condition set by the Uddhav Thackeray-led party for stitching the tie-up.

The Shiv Sena had opposed the setting up of the refinery project at Nanar in Ratnagiri district.

In a written reply to a query whether farmers in Raigad have registered their opposition to shifting of the project to their district, Fadnavis said there has not been any protest so far.