Legislators of the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi staged a protest on Monday before the start of the Budget session of the Maharashtra legislative assembly, accusing the government of misleading the Maratha and Other Backward Classes (OBC) communities.
Protest at Vidhan Sabha
Leader of Opposition in Assembly Vijay Waddetiwar, Congress legislature party leader Balasaheb Thorat and other legislators gathered on the steps of the Vidhan Bhavan, displaying banners and shouting slogans against the Eknath Shinde-led government. “Shame on the government who cheated Marathas and OBCs on the reservation issue,” they chanted.
[All the opposition party leaders, including Nitin Raut, Amin Patel, Amit Deshmukh, Jitesh Antapurkar, Bhai Jagtap, Rajesh Rathod. Shiv Sena group leader Ajay Choudhari, MLA Rajan Salvi, Narendra Darade, Anil Deshmukh, Sunil Bhusara and Vinod Nikole from NCP, also participated.
Issue of Asha workers
Vadettiwar raised the issue of Asha workers, who are agitating at the Azad Maidan. He also demanded that the government should accept the demands of Asha workers and do justice to them. “Asha workers demand an increase in salaries. They will continue the agitation till their demands are met,” he added.
State government does nothing for the malnourished children, he alleged. Finance Minister Ajit Pawar advised Asha workers to adjust their demands with the government. “Nowadays people are agitating and don't want to adjust their demand,” he said.
The session will be held till March 1, during which Ajit Pawar is likely to present the interim budget in the election year.
A discussion on the budget would take place on February 28 and March 1, the third and fourth day of the session, and it will be approved.
