Mumbai, July 10 (IANS) Senior leaders from the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition on Friday launched a scathing attack on the state government at the conclusion of the monsoon assembly session.

Presenting a united front, Congress leader Nana Patole, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Bhaskar Jadhav, and NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) leader Jayant Patil targeted the ruling dispensation over farmers’ issues, infrastructure corruption, deteriorating educational standards, and the “undemocratic” delay in appointing the Leader of the Opposition.

Congress leader Nana Patole claimed that the public has completely lost faith in the current government, stating that farmers are now actively opposing its policies. While the government recently announced the relaxation of two conditions regarding agricultural loan waivers, Patole demanded nothing short of a complete, unconditional waiver.

Patole criticised the government’s vague promises, noting that authorities deferred discussions on giving bonuses to paddy-growing farmers. Referring to infrastructure projects, specifically the “missing link” project, Patole remarked that nature has exposed their sins.

He said when Rs 540 crore per kilometre is being spent, the infrastructure should be completely foolproof, and the state’s reputation has been tarnished by this blatant corruption.

He condemned the political environment, stating that the ruling parties’ attitude of threatening critics with “consequences” is entirely unconstitutional.

He added that his opposition is strictly ideological and that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is not his personal enemy. Patole also alleged state interference and financial irregularities in major religious shrines managed by government-appointed committees.

He said temples like Siddhivinayak, Shirdi Sai Baba, and Pandharpur have been taken over by the government, and people are sitting there simply to plunder resources in the name of power.

He contrasted this with the transparent management of the Gajanan Maharaj Trust in Shegaon, which functions flawlessly without government interference.

Turning to the education sector, Patole claimed the system is on the brink of collapse. Over 2,560 schools have shut down in the state over the last ten years. The state spends barely 4 per cent of its budget on education, which is lower than smaller nations like Bhutan and the Maldives. Poor children are being deprived of basic education while the government promotes bogus private and foreign universities via routes like Singapore by offering them free land.

With the monsoon session concluding and the next session scheduled for December 7 in Nagpur, MVA leaders expressed severe disappointment over the government’s failure to officially designate a Leader of the Opposition (LoP). Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Bhaskar Jadhav expressed his frustration over the delay.

He said that, as the floor leader of the party with the highest representation in the MVA, he has maintained strict coordination, and there are no internal rifts. He added that they have obtained official clarification from the Assembly Secretariat confirming that there is no minimum membership requirement for appointing the LoP. Their delegation met the Speaker, Chief Minister, and Deputy Chief Minister four times, and he questioned how much more they should plead before them.

Taking a sharp dig at the ruling party, NCP leader Jayant Patil quipped that the government does not want to appoint a ‘Leader of the Opposition’ inside the legislature because they have already secured ‘opposition-defying leaders’ to work for them outside.

He added that they often see these leaders openly discussing matters with the ruling bloc and sitting on that side rather than their own.

MVA leaders also observed political gaps during the Chief Minister’s concluding address. Nana Patole pointed out that during the CM’s speech, one of the two Deputy Chief Ministers was noticeably absent, joking that “one engine of the triple-engine government went missing.”

On the farm front, Bhaskar Jadhav stated that while they welcome the relaxed loan-waiver conditions, they attribute the government’s shifting stance to aggressive protests led by MLAs like Rohit Pawar, and that the opposition’s ultimate goal remains unchanged.

Jadhav concluded that they want a completely clean slate for the farmers, a 7/12 land record entirely free of debt. Once the official government order is released, they will evaluate it, but their demand for a comprehensive, unconditional waiver stands.

–IANS

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