Mumbai, Feb 22 (IANS) The month-long Budget session, starting February 23, is expected to be stormy with the opposition, Maha Vikas Aghadi, gearing up to challenge the Mahayuti government on several fronts.

For the ruling Mahayuti alliance (BJP, Shiv Sena-Shinde, and NCP-Sunetra Pawar), the Budget session is a high-stakes exercise in maintaining political momentum especially in the wake of its stellar performance in the recently concluded local body elections while managing a significant leadership transition.

This session is particularly significant as it marks a transition in the state’s political leadership and faces a unique legislative vacuum following the untimely death of Deputy Chief Minister and NCP president Ajit Pawar.

On the other hand, despite being numerically weaker and lacking a formal Leader of the Opposition (LoP), the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), comprising Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress, and NCP (SP), plans to use the session to put the government on the defensive. They are expected to take on the government on a range of issues regarding onions, paddy, soybeans, and cotton, present state of finances amid rising public debt, revenue and fiscal deficits, dip in capital expenditure and non payment of dues to contractors of ongoing development projects.

The Budget session, starting Monday, will continue until March 25. Following the Governor’s address on the first day, a condolence motion will be moved for late Ajit Pawar, with discussions expected to last throughout the day. Regular legislative business will commence on Tuesday.

The session will be the first since the death of former Deputy CM and Finance Minister Ajit Pawar in a plane crash on January 28. His wife, Sunetra Pawar, will debut in the legislature as Deputy Chief Minister.

The opposition, led by (NCP-SP) leader Rohit Pawar , is expected to demand a transparent probe or a CBI inquiry into the crash, alleging that Ajit Pawar’s death was not accidental but potential political conspiracy.

Despite the ruling party’s overwhelming majority compared to the opposition’s smaller numbers – which allowed the government to maintain dominance in the last three sessions of the past year – Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar became a target of criticism regarding the selection of questions and the number of “Calling Attention” motions. Even ministers expressed concern over the rising number of such motions.

Allegations by Shiv Sena-UBT leader Bhaskar Jadhav, claiming that money was taken to ask questions, had previously caused a stir.

The opposition has devised a strategy to corner Speaker Narwekar. Allegations were made that during the filing of nominations for the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation elections, Narwekar was present at the municipal office and used intimidating tactics to ensure three members of his family were elected unopposed. A video of this incident was also circulated on social media. Following this, another video emerged from Alibaug showing Narwekar leaving the site after a farmer objected to a land survey.

Shiv Sena Group Leader Bhaskar Jadhav stated that the opposition would demand answers from Narwekar on both incidents.

Jadhav further alleged that Narwekar has compromised the dignity of the Speaker’s post. Additionally, since Narwekar has not made a decision on the opposition’s proposal for the Leader of the Opposition in the past year, they are unlikely to miss any opportunity to hold him accountable.

Following the accidental death of Ajit Pawar, the Finance portfolio is currently held by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis who will present the state Budget on March 6.

Vijay Wadettiwar, leader of the Congress Legislative Party, said that they will question the Chief Minister on various issues, such as the 36 hour traffic halt on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway due to a tanker overturning and a portion of Metro work collapsing in Mulund killing one person and injuring three others.

He further added that the opposition will emphasise how these accidents in Pune and Mulund prove the government’s claims of planned infrastructure developement are hollow. Issues related to the agriculture department, such as cotton, paddy, onions, and soybeans, will be debated. Although aid was announced for farmers affected by unseasonal rain last year, it has not yet reached them.Many farmers are yet to receive benefits from the 2017 loan waiver.

The opposition plans to hold the government accountable, noting that CM Fadnavis had promised a decision on farm loan waivers by June.

The Congress party will raise the issue of the impact of the India-US trade agreement on the state’s farmers. The opposition will also question when the monthly subsidy for the ‘Ladki Bahin Yojana will be increased to Rs 2,100 from the present Rs 1,500.

As far as the Mahayuti government is concerned, it will counter the opposition by listing a number of achievements not just in electoral politics but also to achieve the much ambitious target of one trillion dollar economy by 2030 and five trillion dollar economy by 2047 as a part of Viksit Maharashtra mission.

CM Fadnavis however, faces the daunting “tightrope walk” of maintaining populist welfare schemes while managing a state debt that has crossed Rs 9 lakh crore. The government is set to continue with the major allocation for the Ladki Bahin Yojana to provide a monthly allowance of Rs 1,500 to the eligible women beneficiaries. The substantial allocation is expected on the Pune-Nashik High-Speed Rail, the Mumbai Water Metro, and the Vadhavan Port project. In addition, the government is likely to announce a “climate-resilient agriculture” package to address erratic weather in Marathwada and Vidarbha while using artificial intelligence.

CM Fadnavis has already said that Maharashtra’s finances are under strain owing to different welfare schemes like the Ladki Bahin Yojana, but claimed that the state continued to meet all key indicators of economic stability and remained among the strongest state economies in the country. While presenting budget, the chief minister’s primary goal will be to prove that Mahayuti can fund massive welfare schemes without crashing the state’s fiscal health.

Parallel to the Budget discussions, the legislature will hold elections for seven Rajya Sabha seats on March 16. High-profile names whose terms are ending include Sharad Pawar (NCP-SP) and Ramdas Athawale (RPI-A). The ruling Mahayuti alliance is expected to secure six out of the seven seats based on current Assembly numbers. Since the MVA can only win one seat, the internal tussle between Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress, and NCP (SP) over who gets that seat (potentially Sharad Pawar) will be a sub-plot that the ruling party will try to exploit.

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

–IANS

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