Maha Assembly pays homage to CRPF jawans killed in Pulwama

The Maharashtra Assembly on Monday condoled the killing of 40 CRPF personnel in the Pulwama terror attack and paid homage to former Legislative Council chairman Shivajirao Deshmukh who died recently.

On the first day of the state legislature's budget session, Assembly Speaker Haribhau Bagade read out the condolence motion to express grief over the February 14 terror attack in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir.

Earlier, Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao in his address to the joint sitting of the legislature said the state government strongly condemns cross-border terrorism and pays homage to the martyred soldiers and paramilitary personnel who laid down their lives at Pulwama and across the country.

"My government is committed to assist the Government of India in combating terrorism," Rao said.

The House also paid homage to former Legislative Council chairman and ex-minister Shivajirao Deshmukh, who died on January 14.

The condolence motion was introduced in the House by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

Later, Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar told the House that a discussion on motion of governor's address to the legislaturewould be taken up in the next session.

To this, NCP member Chhagan Bhujbal said this amounted to "insult" of the governor and demandeda debate in the ongoing session itself.

Rejecting Bhujbal's charge, Mungantiwar said there had been a similar practice in 2009 and 2014 and that the government was following the precedent.