Apart from the statistical facts about Maharashtra's worrisome financial condition, which emerged in the latest state assembly session, the other reality that emerged in the past two weeks in the state was how ineffective the opposition parties are now in the state's political climate and how they are unable to raise important issues in a period when the state is facing so many problems and the masses are suffering on various accounts. The question being asked by many observers is whether the opposition parties are totally ineffective and have perhaps surrendered to the ruling Mahayuti coalition in the state.
Lacklustre assembly session raises concerns
The budget session of the Maharashtra assembly started at the Vidhan Bhavan in Mumbai two weeks ago, and one can say that it was one of the most lacklustre assembly sessions, which saw absolutely no action and, naturally, no reflection in the regional media, leave aside the national media! Maharashtra is India's richest state and the most industrialised and urbanised one at that, contributing over 35% of the total Goods and Services Tax, or the GST, collected nationally.
Traditionally, not just the regional media but the national media also has constantly covered issues presented in Mumbai during the budget session and taken note of the issues that the state has been facing. But this year, there was no cognisance taken of the state budget assembly session. One of the main reasons seems to be the complete inaction on account of the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi, or MVA, during the session.
Internal confusion within opposition alliance
One of the reasons for this is the confusion inside the Maha Vikas Aghadi regarding what the Nationalist Congress Party (SCP) was likely to do just ahead of the state assembly session and how it would have resulted in the collapse of this opposition alliance in Maharashtra.
NCP (SCP) leader and former state president of this party, Jayant Patil, who has held very important portfolios in the state in the past, spoke with a leading Marathi media channel last week, revealing how both factions of the NCP were on the verge of a political merger.
It is very obvious that the NCP led by Ajit Pawar and the NCP faction led by Sharad Pawar had finalised the entire merger plan of the two factions in their multiple meetings, including the last one which happened on January 17 this year.
It became very obvious that Sharad Pawar's party had finalised plans of joining the BJP-led NDA alliance and of distancing itself from Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena and the Congress party, keeping both the alliance partners in the dark about them till the last minute! Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's tragic death in an air crash changed everything, and the merger plans got blocked.
Observers, as well as the entire regional media reporting news at the Vidhan Bhavan in Mumbai, can clearly see that there is an unprecedented deficit of trust in Sharad Pawar's NCP as to what it may do in the future should it get an opportunity to cross over in the future.
Distrust impacts legislative engagement
The distrust among the opposition alliance partners has resulted in them being totally disinterested in taking up big issues in the House during discussions in the current assembly session. The MLAs from the opposition side are seen connecting with the leaders of the ruling party or ministers on an individual basis to get the development projects in their constituencies on track or get their personal work done and do not seem to be too interested in taking up the people’s cause.
The state is currently facing several issues of public interest, including a shortage of LPG, or cooking gas, and insufficient supply of electricity in rural areas. Farmers have been raising issues about falling prices of agricultural goods in the market and rising costs of all inputs. But none of the issues have been properly discussed in the state assembly in the past two weeks.
Rising financial strain goes largely unchallenged
The state is now facing serious financial challenges. The government revealed in the economic survey that the Maharashtra government will be spending a total of 50% of its revenue on just servicing the debt and salary plus pensions of government employees, and in the budget the state made it clear that perhaps the total debt, which was Rs 9 lakh crore last year, may touch Rs 11 lakh crore next year. These numbers are staggering.
The ruling party has many challenges because of financial constraints, but the information about this is not being highlighted by either the ruling party MLAs or the opposition parties. In an unprecedented manner, the Maharashtra assembly saw sessions that passed on very calmly without the opposition asking any tough questions. Perhaps the situation is here to stay for the next two or three assembly sessions. A new trend that Maharashtra has rarely seen in the past!
Rohit Chandavarkar is a senior journalist who has worked for 31 years with various leading newspaper brands and television channels in Mumbai and Pune.
