Maha Legislature session:Oppn likely to corner govt on drought

The Winter session of Maharashtra Legislature beginning tomorrow is likely to witness uproar as the Opposition is likely to raise the issue of price rise and drought situation in the state.
The growing divide between ruling allies BJP and Shiv Sena will also ensure that it would not be a smooth sailing for the government.
Even after completing one year in office, the bickerings between the BJP and Shiv Sena have not abated and have rather come out several times in public domain. The elections to the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai saw the two parties indulging in a virtual cold war.

In the recent celebrations organised by the Sena, which joined the government a little later, on completing one year in office, its chief Uddhav Thackeray hit out at Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis over his foreign tours, citing the increasing number of farmer suicides in the state.
Despite a central team's visit to the state to assess the situation, no solution has been found to drought crisis.
The Congress-led Opposition, which has demanded complete loan waiver for the affected farmers, is likely to corner the government over the issue in the Legislature.

The post of Deputy Speaker in the state Legislative Assembly, which can go to the Sena by all logic and strength, is lying vacant for want of a consensus on the matter.

The much-awaited Cabinet expansion or reshuffle, which was speculated to take place before the Winter Session, has also been deferred.
Fadnavis would have to steer clear of all these hurdles during the Winter session and is likely to be pressurised by the opposition to dole out a relief package for the drought-affected people.
The Opposition Congress and NCP are also expected to raise the issue of price rise of pulses and other essential commodities, apart from farmers' suicides and drought.
Both the parties have already raised the issue of the alleged corrupt practices in the pulses trading and artificial shortage and re-distribution of seized pulses in the market due to alleged hoarding by some traders.

The Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC), led by Ashok Chavan, has regained its vigour and will to take out a big morcha on the second day of the session to raise their demands and to focus on the government's "failure on all fronts".