Maha finance minister justifies supplementary demands in House

Maharashtra Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar today justified the tabling of supplementary demands worth Rs 11,445 crore, saying they are meant for the welfare of farmers and backward classes.

Replying to a debate on the supplementary demands, which were tabled in the Legislative Assembly last week, Mungantiwar (BJP) said the erstwhile Congress-led government had also raised supplementary demands worth over Rs 1 lakh crore in the last five years of its rule ahead of 2014.

The Opposition has been accusing the BJP-led government of "fiscal mismanagement" by incurring huge debt.

"What is important is the intention behind raising the supplementary demands and its allocation. The money is being spent on measures like the welfare of farmers and remuneration for anganwadi workers. An amount of Rs 1528 crore has been spent for procurement of tur," the minister told the Lower House.

He said the Opposition parties should refrain from speaking in a manner which will harm the "general knowledge of students".

Mungantiwar singled out senior NCP leader and former deputy chief minister Chhagan Bhujbal.

Bhujbal, who was released on bail by the Bombay High Court in a money laundering case in May this year after remaining in jail since his arrest in March 2016, participated in the proceedings of the Assembly today.

During the debate, Bhujbal attacked the government over raising such huge supplementary demands.

"There are only two places for introspection--a hospital bed and a jail. Pandit Nehru wrote 'Discovery of India' while in jail at Ahmednagar fort.

"Bhujbal was the guardian minister of Nashik district when the Congress-NCP was in power. Why didn't he award the forest rights to tribals then? It's my habit to study (any subject) without going to jail," Mungantiwar said.