Mumbai, June 21 (IANS) The stage is set for a high-stakes, dramatic showdown at the Vidhan Bhavan in Mumbai as the three-week monsoon session of the Maharashtra legislature begins on Monday. Scheduled to run until July 10, this session is unfolding against a volatile mix of intense political engineering and severe weather anomalies. The dual undercurrents of “Operation Tiger” — a rumoured defection plan targeting the opposition — and a prolonged, erratic monsoon threatening the agrarian sector ensure that the floor of both Houses will be nothing short of a stormy affair.

The most explosive element of this session is the shadow of Operation Tiger. This informal moniker refers to an alleged operation by the ruling Mahayuti alliance to lure away up to six Lok Sabha MPs from Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena(UBT). The political atmosphere grew red-hot right before the session when Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray lashed out on the party’s 60th foundation day, branding the dissident lawmakers as “shameless and ungrateful”.

The session is likely to commence without an officially recognised Leader of Opposition in either the Assembly or the Council. The ruling benches will use this institutional vacuum to conduct legislative business. In response to Operation Tiger, Shiv Sena(UBT) strategist Sanjay Raut has threatened to unleash “Operation Wolf” to target the ruling coalition, signalling aggressive, disruptive protests on the Assembly floor.

The ruling alliance is expected to call an election to the post of Deputy Chairperson of the Maharashtra Legislative Council during the first week, as the Shiv Sena leader Neelam Gorhe, who was holding the post, has been re-elected to the Upper House in the recently held polls. The Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena is expected to repeat her, and she will be elected comfortably considering the strength of the ruling alliance.

While the treasury and opposition benches trade political blows, the real-world crisis outside the Vidhan Bhavan centres on Maharashtra’s backbone: its farmers. A prolonged and highly erratic monsoon season has introduced deep vulnerabilities into the rural economy. The government has already urged farmers not to rush for sowing but wait till further advisory is issued by the weather bureau. The water level from over 3,000 reservoirs across Maharashtra has been depleting rapidly, and the government has already launched a slew of mitigation measures. However, the opposition is not happy, but it expects to take on the government, alleging lack of preparedness to effectively handle the drought-like situation arising out of El Nino.

Delayed or excessively heavy spells of rain have thrown the kharif sowing cycle into chaos, sparking severe anxiety across the state. The opposition is armed and ready to corner the government on the stringent conditions tied to the state’s Rs 36,585 crore farm loan waiver scheme. With rural distress compounding due to the unpredictable weather, the opposition will demand unconditional waivers and immediate dry-spell or crop-loss compensation.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Agriculture Minister Datta Bharane have already announced that the government has done away with major curbs and is doing everything possible to help farmers to get benefits of the loan waiver scheme. Bharane revealed that over 40 lakh farmers have already benefited.

This three-week session is a litmus test for both sides of the aisle. The political and environmental factors are deeply interconnected, shaping a critical narrative for the state. This apart, the opposition is geared up to corner the state on inflation amid the West Asia conflict, NEET examination fiasco, crime against women and law and order situation in the state. Besides, the opposition wants to take on the government on conflict over Martha OBC reservations, SIR exercise and also on the highly sensitive policy dispute relating to the sub-categorisation of Scheduled Caste (SC) reservations.

On its part, the ruling alliance is fully prepared to list out its achievements in addressing various issues raised by the politically influential Martha and OBC communities, modernisation of the police force, control the rising drug menace and crime against women. The government proposes to table a bill to empower women farmers and also announce a slew of policy measures to help farmers in general and simplify procedures for the general public through reforms by the revenue department.

The session will be less about passing routine bills and more about psychological dominance. The opposition, with their limited strength, is attempting to construct a defensive firewall. Conversely, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Dy CMs Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Pawar will look to utilise the floor of the House to project absolute control, stability, and governance efficiency.

With crucial supplementary budget demands up for clearance in the first week, expect raucous shouting matches, routine walkouts, and aggressive posturing. In Maharashtra’s current political climate, the monsoon session will serve as the primary arena where the state’s immediate political and economic future is negotiated.

(Sanjay Jog can be contacted at sanjay.j@ians.in)

–IANS

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