Mumbai, March 26 (IANS) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday claimed that the government discussed a range of issues, including farmers and workers and the Budget proposals during the Assembly session, while opposition was busy with non-issues like Aurangzeb and Kunal Kamra.
“If the opposition has grave and Kunal Kamra in their heads, the government should not be blamed for it,” he said while responding to the opposition’s charges that the ruling alliance raked up issues of the removal of Aurangzeb’s grave and Kunal Kamra, bypassing the core issues.
“We should have worked for six hours a day in the session, but we worked for nine hours. Farmers, workers, and the Budget were discussed in the House. We cannot help if the opposition only has graves and jobs in mind. For us, the 13 crore people of the state are more important than graves and jobs. We took decisions for them,” said the Chief Minister, who was accompanied by the Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, after the conclusion of the four-week Budget session.
“Even though the opposition party does not have many members in the House, we still gave them full space, listened to the issues raised by them and answered their questions,” he said while rebutting the opposition’s claim that they were not given due time during proceedings of the House.
The Chief Minister also expressed confidence that the state’s development will gain momentum as the Budget with many policies for the development of the state has been passed.
Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said, “We have continued all the schemes, development projects, welfare schemes and have not allowed the economy to deteriorate anywhere.”
He added that the opposition was worried that now all the schemes will be closed, development projects will be closed, how will salaries be paid, but this inning of the MahaYuti government has started with a bang.
“We have given priority to work without slowing down the pace of development. The opposition was happy to protest on the steps. They should come to the hall and discuss. Now there is no extra-constitutional government, there is a government of 237 members,” he said.
The Deputy Chief Minister added that the government will fulfil all promises that were given in the manifesto in the run-up to the state Assembly election.
Further, the Chief Minister also informed that there is no objection to raising the attention-grabbing issues, but the government will request the Assembly Speaker that the issues that meet the criteria should come for discussion and that those outside the criteria should not come.
He said that the appointment of the Leader of the Opposition will be made by the Speaker. “The Speaker of the Assembly has the right to appoint the Leader of the Opposition. We will abide by that decision,” he added.
–IANS
sj/dan
