Maha Budget session begins BJP raises farm loan waiver issue

    Mumbai, Feb 24 (PTI)The budget session of the
Maharashtra Assembly got off to a noisy start on Monday as the
opposition BJP accused the Shiv Sena-led state government of
not fulfilling the assurances made to farmers and failingto
check the rising crimes against women.
    Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Devendra
Fadnavisdemanded a discussion on the issue of farmers "not
getting" benefits of the loan waiver scheme.
    He said before the Shiv Sena, NCP andCongress came
together to form government in the state, the three parties
were demanding that farmers get Rs 25,000 to Rs one lakh per
hectare for crop damage.
    "There is no clarityon relief to farmers. Only 20,000
farmers are beneficiaries of loan waiver. There needs to be a
discussion on this," the former chief minister said.
    The BJP members then came into the well of the House
and shouted slogans against the Uddhav Thackeray government.
    Fadnavis also demanded a discussionon rising
incidents of crime against women in the state.
    Amid the noisy scenes, supplementary demands for 2019
-2020 and the statement on excess expenditure from 2014 to
2017 were tabled by Finance Minister Ajit pawar.
    Earlier, as soon as the Housewas convened, Chief
Minister Uddhav Thackeray introduced Congress member Vijay
Wadettiwaras minister of theBahujan Kalyan Department and
the Relief and Rehabilitation Department.
    Fadnavisasked why Wadettiwar was not present in the
Assembly during the last session when all the ministers were
introduced.
    When Thackeray expanded his Cabinet in December last
year, Wadettiwar was upset over not being given the relief and
rehabilitation department and had stayed away from taking
charge of his ministerial duties.
    Meanwhile, as the House took up the condolence motion
to pay tributes to former legislators, the BJP members went to
their seats.
    The House paid homage to former MLAs Pushpasen Sawant
andKisanrao Raut, whodied recently.
    Speaker Nana Patolethen adjourned the House for the
day. PTI MR
GK GK

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)