Maha govt giving importance to religious euphoria over development: Ashish Deshmukh

Former BJP MLA Ashish Deshmukh on Tuesday criticised the state government for giving importance to religious euphoria and pride over development issues.

In an open letter to members of Maharashtra Assembly, Deshmukh said the BJP-Shiv Sena government in the state, which has completed four years, appears to be gripped by a policy paralysis.

Instead of development, the government is giving more importance to religious euphoria and pride to divert people's attention.

Deshmukh, who quit the BJP on October 12 after resigning as a member of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, appealed to the legislators to objectively evaluate the performance of the Maharashtra government and take a stand.

"My resignation does not affect the current coalition but it drew attention to the failure of the state at various levels," he said.

It is time to bring down this government that does not help people, he said.

The failure of the loan waiver schemes, little attention to women and child development and several announcements which are yet to materialise, are some of the indicators of the government's inability, Deshmukh said.

Hardly 30-40 per cent farmers in Maharashtra benefitted from the loan waiver scheme, he claimed.

He alleged that around 15,000 farmers have committed suicide in the last four years.

According to a National Crime Records Bureau report, Maharashtra is the most corrupt state for last three years, the letter said.

The claims of 'Make in India', job creation have not yet materialised, Deshmukh said.

The government's faulty policies have also affected the farmers who did not get adequate compensation for their crop loss, he alleged.