Maharashtra: Three-week budget session to be a stormy affair

Amid trading of corruption charges by ruling and opposition parties, a three-week budget session starting from March 3 will be a stormy affair. BJP has warned that it will not allow the proceedings till the NCP Minister Nawab Malik, who was recently arrested in money laundering case, does not resign. On the other hand, MVA partners including NCP, Shiv Sena and Congress have taken an aggressive stand that Malik will stay in the cabinet as he had been the victim of BJP's revenge politics.

The session will commence also against the backdrop of the FIR filed against a senior IPS officer Rashmi Shukla in connection with illegal phone tapping of opposition leaders done during the BJP government. The Congress party has demanded a probe against former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, who was holding the home department, in the interception of the phone of opponents. BJP has challenged the MVA government to order a probe to find out Fadnavis’ role.

MVA partners and BJP will be pitted against each other also on the case filed against union minister Narayan Rane and his MLA son Nitesh Rane for the alleged defamatory statement on Disha Salian, former manager of Sushant Singh Rajput. Rane has been targeting Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and MVA government in general on a number of issues. On the other hand, Shiv Sena is not leaving any opportunity to counter Rane’s target as it has demanded a probe into various crimes that took place during Rane’s tenure as the minister in the past in Sindhudurg district.

Governor BS Koshyari’s statement that Samarth Ramdas was Chhatrapati Shivaji’s guru will come for discussion especially amid widening rift between the Governor and the MVA government. Already, ruling alliance leaders were joined by few BJP leaders to condemn Koshyari’s remarks.

This apart, restoration of Maratha and OBC quotas, remapping of wards in BMC and other civic bodies, disconnection of power supply of agriculture consumers and deteriorating finances of the state electricity distribution company are expected to come for debate.

Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who will present the annual budget for 2022-23 on March 11, will have to strive to keep the rising public debt and revenue deficit. State’s public debt has already crossed Rs 6 lakh crore while the revenue deficit, which was estimated at Rs 10,226 crore and fiscal deficit Rs 66,641 crore for 2021-22, are expected to rise further. Amid slow pace of revenue collection during the present economic slowdown, Pawar will have a tough time to provide sops to various sections.

Moreover, MVA partners are expected to target the Centre for delays in the clearance of GST compensation of over Rs 30,000 crore. However, BJP has countered the MVA government’s argument blaming it for the present financial mess.

Both MVA and BJP will not spare to target each other on the functioning of the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation ahead of the upcoming elections. Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress will take the opportunity to take credit for the special allocation of over Rs 400 crore in the annual plan for Mumbai districts and also for a number of initiatives to boost infrastructure development. However, BJP, which has launched Mission 2022, proposes to highlight corruption in the Shiv Sena-ruled BMC. Incidentally, BJP was Shiv Sena’s partner in BMC till recently.