Maha Oppn to boycott customary CM tea meet, cites rising farmers' distress, atrocities against Dalits

Nagpur (The Uttam Hindu): The opposition on Sunday decided to boycott the customary tea meeting convened by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis here on the eve of a week-long winter session of the state legislature.The opposition parties that met this morning claimed there was no point in attending the tea meeting amid rising atrocities against Dalits, deteriorating law and order, especially how a sarpanch from Beed strict was murdered in broad daylight, and government neglect towards farmers in distress. The Maharashtra Assembly session will begin from Monday and as per the schedule will conclude on December 21. The leader of the opposition in the state council, Ambadas Danve, in his letter to CM Fadnavis, conveyed the decision and alleged that the Mahayuti government was a perpetrator of corruption and daylight murders. He told reporters after the opposition's meeting, "The government that commits murders in broad daylight is in power. The government is anti-farmer and is keeping silent over the atrocities against Dalits. The government has not ensured the due prices of soybeans and cotton and has reduced the milk procurement prices. The government is making the condition of farmers miserable. The opposition will raise these issues during the winter session in the legislature."

Referring to the violence that broke in Parbhani after desecration of the Constitution, Danve, who was accompanied by former LOP in the state Assembly Vijay Wadettiwar, NCP(SP) legislature party leader Jitendra Awhad and Shiv Sena(UBT) whip Sunil Prabhu, said that Somnath Somvanshi, a young man who was arrested during a combing operation following the backlash over the desecration of the Constitution in Parbhani, died in jail. "While all these incidents were happening, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was involved in the procession and felicitation," he claimed. "Is the government paying attention to all these incidents?" he asked. The opposition also slammed the killing of a Sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh from Beed district exposing the unholy nexus between the police and the perpetrator. He alleged that the person involved in Deshmukh’s killing was allegedly close to NCP(SP) legislator and former Minister Dhananjay Munde. State Congress chief Nana Patole alleged that killers involved in the murder of the Sarpanch were responsible for destroying his body.

Danve further said despite the rise in the drug menace, the government has not taken major action against it. He alleged that the Mahayuti government has come to power on the basis of EVMs. He claimed that the Markadwadi villagers were banned from holding a mock poll saying that the administration lodged cases against the villagers. "The people of Vidarbha were expecting that there would be a three-week session after the new government comes to power and the Chief Minister is from the region. Instead, the session will take place for a week. There is no guaranteed price for soybeans, and no price for paddy, the government was expected to fulfil the promises made. However, there has been no action from the government," said Wadettiwar. He added that the government has not yet opened the soybean procurement centres. Patole demanded that the government clarify its role on the farmer loan waiver issue as promised in the run-up to the state Assembly election.